Pope Leo XIV took part for the first time in the procession that goes from the Basilica of St. Anselm to the Basilica of Santa Sabina, which is located on the Aventine Hill—one of the seven hills of Rome.
This procession takes place on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the forty days of Lenten penance during which Catholics meditate on the Passion of Jesus Christ during Holy Week, which will be in early April this year.
This tradition was formally formed under the papacy of Pope Gregory the Great, who organized and structured the so-called “Lenten stations” in different churches throughout the Eternal City.
The Basilica of St. Anselm is the headquarters of the Benedictine Confederation, which is why the monks of the Pontifical Athenaeum of St. Anselm—along with those from the monastery—take a prominent part in the procession alongside the pope, the cardinals, and members of the Roman Curia.
