Bishop Erik Varden, prelate of Trondheim (Norway) and member of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance (Trappists), will be in charge of preaching the Lenten Spiritual Exercises 2026 to Pope Leo XIV and the Roman Curia, as reported by the Prefecture of the Pontifical Household.
“Illuminated by a Hidden Glory”, Theme of the Exercises
Under the title “Illuminati da una gloria nascosta. Un itinerario quaresimale”—»Illuminated by a Hidden Glory. A Lenten Journey»—, the Spiritual Exercises will take place from Sunday, February 22, to Friday, February 27, 2026, and are directed to the Holy Father, the cardinals resident in Rome, and the heads of the dicasteries of the Curia.
The meditations will be held daily in the Cappella Paolina, combining the liturgy of the hours, Eucharistic adoration, and the spiritual reflections proposed by Bishop Varden, in a framework of recollection and silence proper to the Lenten season.
A Spiritual Journey with Saint Bernard as Reference
The program of the Exercises features a marked monastic and spiritual emphasis, with several meditations inspired by the figure of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the great doctors of the Cistercian tradition. Among the announced themes are, among others, Entering Lent, Saint Bernard the Idealist, The Splendor of Truth, Becoming Free, Saint Bernard the Realist, and Communicating Hope.
Each day will include liturgical celebrations such as the Hour of Terce, Vespers, and Eucharistic adoration, underscoring the centrality of prayer and contemplation in the spiritual preparation for Easter.
A Preacher with a Contemplative Profile
Msgr. Erik Varden, who converted to Catholicism in his youth, is known in the ecclesial sphere for his contemplative profile, his fidelity to the monastic tradition, and his ability to dialogue with the contemporary world from a spirituality deeply rooted in faith. His selection as preacher of the Spiritual Exercises reinforces the penitential and doctrinal character of Lent as a time of conversion, truth, and hope.
Read also: Interview with Bishop Erik Varden: «The truly chaste person is integral»
The Return of the Exercises to the Pauline Chapel
The celebration of the Roman Curia’s Spiritual Exercises in the Pauline Chapel represents a significant return to the historical and liturgical normality of the Vatican. After years in which the exercises were held in the Redemptoris Mater Chapel—located on the second floor of the Apostolic Palace and decorated with a cycle of mosaics made for the Jubilee of the year 2000 by Marko Ivan Rupnik—, the Curia now returns to a space traditionally linked to the Pope’s prayer. This change puts an end to more than a decade of complex and costly logistical and security transfers outside the Vatican, and returns the exercises to a more sober, functional setting in keeping with their spiritual purpose.
The Pauline Chapel is one of the four palatine chapels of the Vatican and, unlike the Sistine Chapel, has historically been associated with the custody of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the personal prayer of the Pontiff. Built by order of Paul III between 1537 and 1540 according to the design of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, it houses the two great frescoes by Michelangelo—the Conversion of Saul and the Crucifixion of Saint Peter—which constitute its iconographic core. Normally not accessible to the public, the Pauline Chapel is also the place from which the procession of cardinal electors departs toward the Sistine Chapel during the conclave and where the newly elected Pope stops to pray. Its last major restoration, carried out between 2002 and 2009, returned the chapel to liturgical use, responding to the desire expressed by Benedict XVI to “reopen the Pauline Chapel to worship”.