Pope Calls International Space Station, Blesses Astronauts

The Pope often prays to saints in heaven, but for the first time in history a Pope spoke with astronauts orbiting beyond the clouds.  The connection between Pope Benedict XVI and the International Space Station took place around 7:11 a.m. EDT on May 21.

ROME, ITALY (JohnPaulMoments.com) - For the first time in history, the Pope spoke with men in outer space.  The connection between Pope Benedict XVI and the International Space Station took place around 7:11 a.m. EDT on Saturday, May 21.

The Pope spoke for nineteen minutes with the twelve astronauts aboard the space station via a live audio-video connection.  A significant portion of the conversation was with the two Italian astronauts present in the station, Roberto Vittori, who just arrived on Shuttle Endeavour's final trip, and Paolo Nespoli, who was already aboard the space station.

The pope conveyed his deepest condolences to Nespoli, who was in orbit when his mother died earlier this month.

Endeavour's commander Mark Kelly also greeted the Pope. "Welcome aboard the International Space Station, your Holiness," Kelly said. 

The Pope proceeded to express his wish for the continued recovery of Kelly's wife, Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.  Giffords was seriously wounded during an assassination attempt in Tucson, Arizona, in January. Kelly thanked the pope for his kindness.

The Pope's phone call coincided with the final mission of the space Shuttle Endeavour and was postponed from May 4 due to the delay of Endeavour's original launch date amid technical concerns.  The Shuttle Endeavour will be retired to a museum following its return to earth.

The papal call to space was arranged by the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. NASA assisted with technical assistance from Houston.

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Brother Randall Meissen, LC, is author of the book Living Miracles: The Spiritual Sons of John Paul the Great. He podcasts on John Paul 2 at JohnPaulMoments.com.

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