Lenten Retreat at the Vatican Calls the Church to Communicate Hope in a Wounded World
During the annual Lenten Spiritual Exercises at the Vatican, Bishop Erik Varden offered a powerful reflection on what it means for the Church to communicate hope in a time marked by uncertainty, anxiety, and visible social wounds. Preaching to Pope Leo XIV, cardinals residing in Rome, and heads of dicasteries, the Norwegian bishop invited Church leaders to rediscover the depth of Christian hope rooted in Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.
Drawing inspiration from the opening of the Second Vatican Council in 1962, Bishop Varden recalled how Pope Saint John XXIII described the Council’s central task as guarding and presenting the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine more effectively to the modern world. That call, made at the height of global tensions during the Cold War, remains relevant today. The Church, he said, must speak clearly to the anxious questions of every age without diluting its faith.
He noted that the contemporary world is marked by ecological fears, geopolitical instability, and ideological division. Young people in particular often express a deep sense of vulnerability and emotional fatigue. Cultural expressions of sadness and uncertainty reveal a generation searching for meaning while struggling with despair. In this context, Bishop Varden argued, Christian hope must not be confused with optimism or easy promises of progress. It is something deeper, grounded in truth and sustained by faith.
Christian hope, he explained, does not deny suffering. Christ himself foretold conflict, persecution, and hardship. Yet he also commanded his disciples to heal, to serve, and to act with charity. The Cross stands at the center of this message. For centuries, the Church reflected carefully on the mystery of Christ’s divinity and humanity before placing the crucifix visibly at the heart of Christian worship. The wounded yet risen Christ remains the enduring symbol of hope that does not ignore pain but transforms it.
Bishop Varden warned against two modern tendencies in dealing with wounds. One is the temptation to define identity entirely through suffering, allowing bitterness to take root. The other is the effort to erase or deny suffering through technological or ideological means. Both approaches, he suggested, risk losing sight of the redemptive meaning found in Christ’s Passion.
He emphasized that reverence for Christ’s wounds shaped Christian culture for centuries through art, devotion, and liturgy. The Cross teaches that suffering is not meaningless and that no desolation is final. In a world saturated with rapidly shifting narratives and digital distractions, the Church is called to offer symbols that are not manufactured but received, rooted in historical reality and eternal truth.
As Lent unfolds, Bishop Varden urged the Church to present the Gospel with clarity and confidence. The human heart continues to ask why and seeks solid ground. Christian hope responds not with slogans but with the living person of Christ, crucified and risen, who remains the light of the nations and the foundation of authentic renewal.
