MARIA KOZAKIEWICZ

Ascension of the Lord
May 20, 2012

The Ascension, understood in terms of human chronology and human understanding, ends the story of Jesus' life on earth, that life which begins with the joy of Nativity. How far we have travelled from the innocence of the crib, the angels and the shepherds singing together.

FR. RON ROLHEISER, omi

There are different kinds of power and different kinds of authority. There is military power, muscle power, political power, economic power, moral power, charismatic power and psychological power, among other things.

While some maintain that convicted felon and former media mogul Conrad Black got a sweetheart deal from the Canadian government in being allowed back into the country, all we can say is, "Welcome home, Conrad."

As Chinese and U.S. diplomats sought a resolution to the diplomatic crisis surrounding Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng, many Chinese-Americans turned their attention to the nature of Chen's dissent.

The March visit to Cuba by Pope Benedict has helped reawaken people's interest in the Catholic Church, say two Cuban bishops visiting the United States.

Delegates attending the General Conference of the United Methodist Church in Tampa, Fla., voted May 3 against changing the wording in the Church's book of laws and doctrines that says homosexual acts are "incompatible with Christian teaching."

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The leader of the Catholic Church in Nigeria has criticized his government for allegedly failing to protect Christians in the north of his country from attack by Islamist terrorists.

The Catholic bishops of the Philippines welcomed a statement by the country's finance secretary, who said the nation's rising population is a boon to the economy.

Both the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., are defending themselves against lawsuits filed by Catholic school teachers who were fired for pursuing in vitro fertilization treatments.