At an Ash Wednesday Mass, Pope Leo spoke sadly about a world "in flames". He said wars and damage to the environment are causing great harm. During the service, the pope sprinkled ashes on the heads of participants, a sign of human mortality. He said these ashes might also show "the weight of a world that is ablaze, of entire cities destroyed by war". The pope added that the ashes could mean "the ashes of international law and justice among peoples, [and] the ashes of entire ecosystems". His words called attention to the suffering of people and nature alike.