May 21
ASCENSION THURSDAY
(Celebrated at the Vatican on the sixth Thursday after Easter
but in many places now celebrated on the following Sunday)
Saints Cristobal Magallanes
and Companions (Mexico, d. 1915-1928)
20th-Century Martyrs
OR today.
Illustration depicts the Ascension in a Byzantine icon.
At the General Audience, the Pope speaks of his recent apostolic journey:
'In the Holy Land, it is possible to escape the spiral of violence'
Other Page 1 stories: Iran tests a long-range missile capable of reaching Israel, US bases in the Mideast and southern Europe; Israeli warplanes retaliate against new rocket attacks from southern Gaza; and an essay on the Byzantine celebration of the Ascension.
There are no events scheduled for the Holy Father today
(a religious holiday at the Vatican).