Vatican City, Feb 26, 2020 / 11:00 am
On Ash Wednesday, Pope Francis called on Catholics to go to Confession during Lent to experience God's healing love.
"We can receive God's forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance because there the fire of God's love consumes the ashes of our sin. The embrace of the Father in confession renews us inside and purifies our heart," Pope Francis said in his Ash Wednesday homily Feb. 26.
"Only Jesus, who knows and loves our heart, can heal it. Lent is a time of healing," he said in the Basilica of Santa Sabina.
Before going to confession, Pope Francis recommended, people should stand in front of the Crucifix and contemplate Christ on the cross.