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POPE LEO XIV at the REGINA CAELI in the Vatican - St Peter's Square on Sunday, 17 May 2026 ________________________________________ Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday! In many countries throughout the world, the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today. The image of Jesus –– lifted up from the earth and ascending toward heaven, as the Bible states (cf. Acts 1:1-11) –– may cause us to think about this Mystery as a distant event from long ago. Yet this is not so, for we are united to Jesus as the members of one body united to the head. By ascending into heaven, then, he draws us with him toward full communion with the Father. In this regard, Saint Augustine said, “the head’s advance is the hope of the members” (Sermon 265, 1.2). Indeed, Christ’s entire life is a movement of ascent. Through his humanity, he embraces and involves the whole world, elevating and redeeming human beings from their sinful condition. He thus brings light, forgiveness and hop...