On a sunny Roman morning, Pope Francis meditated on the Ascension of the Lord. "What does this event mean, how should we understand it?" and added how "Jesus does not abandon the disciples. He ascends to heaven, but he does not leave us alone. On the contrary, precisely in ascending to the Father he assures the outpouring of his Spirit. On another occasion he had said: 'It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Paraclete will not come to you' (Jn 16:7)".
Our current mentality emphasizes individual autonomy, but the divine logic follows other steps, "His is a presence that does not want to restrict our freedom. On the contrary, he makes room for us, because true love always generates a closeness that does not crush, it is not possessive, it is close, but not possessive. True love makes us protagonists. This is why Christ assures us: "I am going to the Father, and you will be clothed with power from on high; I will send you my Spirit, and by his power you will carry on my work in the world" (cf. Lk 24:49).
A week before the Feast of Pentecost, the Pope recalled that "the Holy Spirit makes Jesus present in us, beyond the barriers of time and space, so that we can be his witnesses in the world". And he added: "Brothers and sisters, let us think today of the gift of the Spirit that we have received from Jesus in order to be witnesses to the Gospel. Let us ask ourselves if we really are; and also if we are capable of loving others, leaving them free and giving them space. And then: do we know how to become intercessors for others, that is, do we know how to pray for them and bless their lives? Or do we serve others for our own interests? Let us learn this: intercessory prayer, interceding for the hopes and sufferings of the world, for peace. And let us bless with our eyes and words those whom we meet every day".
After the Regina Caeli the Pope has announced that on August 29 and 30 there will be a meeting of all the cardinals to reflect on the new Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium, and on Saturday, August 27, the Consistory for the creation of the new cardinals will take place. These are their names:
- H.R.H. Msgr. Arthur Roche - Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments.
- Lazzaro You Heung-sik - Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy.
- Archbishop Fernando Vérgez Alzaga L.C. - President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State and President of the Governorate of Vatican City State.
- Jean-Marc Aveline - Metropolitan Archbishop of Marseille (France).
- Peter Ebere Okpaleke - Bishop of Ekwulobia (Nigeria).
- Leonardo Ulrich Steiner, O.F.M. - Metropolitan Archbishop of Manaus (Brazil).
- Filipe Neri António Sebastião do Rosário Ferrão - Archbishop of Goa and Damão (India).
- Most Reverend Robert Walter McElroy - Bishop of San Diego (U.S.A)
- Virgilio Do Carmo Da Silva, S.D.B. - Archbishop of Dili (Timor Orientale).
- Oscar Cantoni - Bishop of Como (Italy).
- Anthony Poola - Archbishop of Hyderabad (India).
- Paulo Cezar Costa - Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Brasilia (Brazil).
- Richard Kuuia Baawobr M. Afr - Bishop of Wa (Ghana).
- William Goh Seng Chye - Archbishop of Singapore (Singapore).
- Bishop Adalberto Martínez Flores - Metropolitan Archbishop of Asunción (Paraguay).
- Giorgio Marengo, I.M.C. - Apostolic Prefect of Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).
Along with them will be created other cardinals over 80 years of age, so they will not be in the next conclave:
- Jorge Enrique Jiménez Carvajal - Archbishop Emeritus of Cartagena (Colombia).
- Lucas Van Looy S.D.B. - Archbishop emeritus of Ghent (Belgium).
- Archbishop Arrigo Miglio - Archbishop Emeritus of Cagliari (Italy).
- Gianfranco Ghirlanda SJ - Professor of Theology.
- Fortunato Frezza - Canon of St. Peter.
