In addition, President Trump issued the following Ash Wednesday message in a nod to America’s Christian roots.
This Ash Wednesday, we join in prayer with the tens of millions of American Catholics and other Christians beginning the holy season of Lent—a time of spiritual anticipation of the passion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
During the Lenten season, Christians spend 40 days and 40 nights praying, fasting, and giving alms to deepen our faith and strengthen our belief in the Gospel. Today, followers of Christ wear crosses of ash on their foreheads—a sacred reminder of our mortality and our enduring need for Christ’s infinite mercy and redeeming love.
As we solemnly contemplate Jesus Christ’s suffering and death on the cross this Lent, let us prepare our souls for the coming glory of the Easter miracle.
We offer you our best wishes for a prayerful and enriching Lenten season. May Almighty God bless you, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.
Would that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops could issue something like this. You'll never see the likes of it. Trump and his staff speak with more command and authority on the Catholic Faith than most of today's bishops. In many Catholic parishes today, Lent has been turned into a pagan fest with strumming, dancing, and all manner of childish deviations to avoid suffering and persecution.