To mark the beginning of Lent, a traditional penitential liturgy was held for the clergy of the Diocese of Rome on February 27, 2020. The ceremony took place in the Archbasilica of St John Lateran, the cathedral of the Diocese. In his address, Pope Francis reflects on the "bitterness" some priests experience while expressing the hope that it might "show us [clergy] the way to greater adoration of the Father, and help us to experience anew the power of His merciful anointing".