Leo XIV has chosen this Trappist monk and spiritual author to lead the annual Lenten retreat for himself and the Roman Curia in the Pauline Chapel.Lenten campaign 2026
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For the first Lent of his pontificate, Leo XIV has chosen the Norwegian Trappist monk Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim to preach the spiritual exercises to the Roman Curia. The Prefecture of the Papal Household announced the appointment on February 4, 2026.
It’s customary for the pontiff to bring in an outside preacher to lead this time of prayer and meditation for his closest collaborators during Lent, the 40 days of preparation for Easter. This year, 51-year-old monk Erik Varden, a Catholic bishop in one of Europe's most secularized countries, has been given the task of speaking to the prelates who will gather in the Pauline Chapel of the Apostolic Palace twice a day (9 a.m. and 5 p.m.) for six days.
The Prefecture has published the program for this retreat, which will take place from February 22 to 27 at the Vatican, on the theme “Illuminated by a Hidden Glory.”
The Trappist monk — a Cistercian of the Strict Observance — is a former agnostic who converted to Catholicism while studying at Cambridge (England). He was the first Catholic bishop in 2020 to be consecrated in Nidaros Cathedral since the Lutheran Reformation in the 14th century.
Bishop Varden is president of the Nordic Bishops' Conference and a member of the Dicastery for the Clergy in Rome. A polyglot (for example, he podcasted himself reading out loud the Gospel of Mark in Greek) and a renowned spiritual author, he has written books on chastity and solitude, among other topics.
The retreat program
The preacher will deliver 11 meditations, including two on St. Bernard of Clairvaux, promoter of the Cistercian Order in the 12th century, to the Pope, cardinals residing in the Eternal City, and the heads of the dicasteries.
The themes and schedules for these days are as follows: Entering Lent (February 22 at 5 p.m.); St. Bernard the Idealist (February 23 at 9 a.m.); God's Help (February 23 at 5 p.m.); Becoming Free (February 24 at 9 a.m.); The Splendor of Truth (February 24 at 5 p.m.); A Thousand Will Fall (February 25 at 9 a.m.); “I Will Glorify Him” (February 25 at 5 p.m.); The Angels of God (February 26 at 9 a.m.); St. Bernard the Realist (February 26 at 5 p.m.); On Consideration (February 27 at 9 a.m.); Communicating Hope (February 27 at 5 p.m.).
Novelties
Eucharistic adoration and vespers are also planned after each late afternoon meditation.
The spiritual exercises usually involve a suspension of the pope's public activities. For this first Lent of his pontificate, Leo XIV has decided to spend the retreat in the Vatican.
His predecessor Francis, on the other hand, had made a habit during most of his pontificate of taking the leaders of the Curia out of Rome to the spiritual center of Ariccia, removing them from their work environment.
Several observers also noted the choice to meet in the Pauline Chapel — close to the Sistine Chapel — rather than in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel, which had been used as the venue for this Lenten retreat since John Paul II. This decision may not have been coincidental: the Redemptoris Mater Chapel is decorated with mosaics by former Slovenian Jesuit Marko Rupnik, who is at the center of serious abuse scandals. Last year, while Pope Francis was hospitalized, the Lenten spiritual exercises took place in Paul VI Hall.
An Aleteia writer reflects on one of Bishops Varden's books in the article below:
