Lessons from the galaxy

In the "Herald of Hope" column in the December 8, 2005, Bishop Richard J. Sklba wants to make a point on centralization versus decentralization in the Church. He starts with a folksy feigned ignorance of physics ... or is it feigned?

Things fall to the ground rather than floating out into space because the Earth seems to pull them close to itself. If they were further away, like the astronauts, for example, they might be perilously freed from that tug and could disappear off into outer darkness.