Top Science News

This programme was updated at 9:55 a.m. ET.

HOUSTON — In a prototypal for The Vatican, Catholic monastic XVI titled to the heavens on Saturday, but instead of reaching God, he crosspiece to digit European astronauts and their 10 colleagues employed on commission the International Space Station (ISS).

"Dear astronauts, I am rattling happy to hit this extraordinary opportunity to backward with you during your assignment and especially grateful to be healthy to intercommunicate to so many of you as both crews are present on the expanse send at this time," said the Pope, reading in English from embattled remarks. [Video: Science & Faith Merge in Pope's Space Station Talk]

The recording call, which began at 7:11 a.m. EDT (1111 GMT), originated from the Foconi Room of the residence Library in Rome, Italy. It was organized by the European Space Agency (ESA), whose astronauts Paolo Nespoli and Roberto Vittori are currently employed in space.

The conversation scarred the prototypal instance that the Catholic has spoken with astronauts in orbit.

"This conversation gives me the chance to impart my possess admiration and approval to you and every those collaborating making your assignment possible and substance my heartfelt encouragement to bring it to a safe and flourishing conclusion," the Catholic said. [Photo: Catholic monastic XVI speaks with astronauts]

Joining the digit Italians for the space-to-ground conversation were the U.S. and Russian crew members of expanse shuttle Endeavour’s STS-134 assignment and the expanse station’s Expedition 27.

ESA traveler saint Reiter, who same Catholic monastic XVI is German, connected His Holiness in The residence unitedly with the president of the European Space Agency Enrico Saggese and General Giuseppe Bernardis with the European Air Force.

"An undertaking of the manlike spirit"

After a brief introduction, the Catholic asked the astronauts and cosmonauts questions concerning their unique plus saucer in expanse and how it affected their analyse on a difference of subjects ranging from the hostility old between nations to protecting the Earth's surround to their personal unification to God.

"Space expedition is a fascinating technological adventure. I undergo you hit been studying your equipment to further technological investigate and to study irradiation coming from outmost space. But I conceive it is also an undertaking of the manlike spirit. A powerful input to emit on the origins and on the occurrence of the aggregation and humanity," the Catholic said.

"In the interior of your pure impact and research, do you ever kibosh and emit same this, perhaps modify pray to the creator? Or module it be easier for you to conceive most these things once you hit returned to Earth?" he asked.

"When we hit a instance to countenance downbound [at Earth], the warning is the three-dimensional effect and the warning of the follower is capturing our heart ... capturing my heart," replied Vittori. "And I do pray. I do pray for me, for our families, for our future."

The Pope, speaking in Italian, also addressed Nespoli most the past modification of his mother, mentioning that he had prayed for her.

"Holy father, I change your prayers and everyone's prayers incoming up here, where right the concern we itinerary and we hit a plus saucer to countenance at the Earth and we feel everything around us," Nespoli replied. "I change rattling far but also rattling close and the intellection of feeling every of you nearby me at this instance has been a great relief."

"Tell me of your experiences"

Turning to the subject of applicatory concerns, the Catholic asked the crew members most the nonsense of hostility seen on Earth, specifically citing the defamation endeavor earlier this assemblage on the spouse of Endeavour’s commander, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

"I undergo that Mark Kelly's spouse was a victim of an move and I desire her upbeat continues to improve,” he said. "When you are contemplating the Earth from up there, do you ever astonishment most the artefact nations and grouping springy unitedly downbound here and most how noesis crapper advance to the drive of peace?"

"Thank you the kind words, your holiness, and impart you for mentioning my spouse Gabby," buffoon replied. "It's a rattling beatific question. We fly over most of the concern and you don't wager borders. But at the same time, we actualise that grouping fisticuffs with each another and there's a aggregation of hostility in this concern and it is rattling an black thing."

"On Earth, ofttimes grouping fisticuffs for energy. In space, we ingest solar noesis and we hit render cells on the expanse shuttle, but on the expanse station, it's the noesis and profession that we place in to the expanse send to develop a solar noesis capability [that] gives us pretty such unlimited amount of energy. And if those technologies could be adapted more on Earth, we could mayhap reduce some of that violence," buffoon said.

The Catholic also asked the astronauts if they saw "signs of phenomena" that we need to be more attentive to protecting the Earth’s environment.

"On the digit hand, we crapper wager how unspeakably bonny the follower that we hit been is, but on the another hand, we crapper really, understandably wager how breakable it is," replied Daffo Garan, a NASA traveler serving as a grace organise on the expanse station. [Amazing expanse photos by traveler Daffo Garan]

"The region for instance," he continued. "The region when viewed from expanse is essay thin, and to conceive that this essay anorectic place is every that separates every experience thing from the vacuum of expanse and every that protects us is rattling a sobering thought."

Asked by the Catholic what the most essential communication the astronauts could intercommunicate on their return, Endeavour assignment specialist Mike Fincke stressed expedition and cooperation.

"We crapper countenance downbound and wager our bonny follower that God has prefabricated and it is the most bonny follower in the full solar system. However, if we countenance up, we crapper wager the rest of the universe. And the rest of the aggregation is out there for us to go and explore. The International Space Station is meet digit symbol, digit warning of what manlike beings crapper do when we impact unitedly constructively," Fincke said.

"So our communication I think, digit of our many messages, but I conceive digit of our most essential messages is to let the children of the planet, the teen grouping know, that there is a full aggregation for us to go explore. And when we do it together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish," he said.

"Spearheading humanity's exploration"

Vittori, who launched with Endeavour on its 16-day test mission, carried to expanse a silver ribbon donated by the Pope. [Photos of Space Endeavour's Final Launch]

"We are struck by the perplexity of His Greatness," said the Pope. "That is ground the ribbon I gave parliamentarian as a sign of my possess participation in your assignment represents the creation of man as varnished by sculpturer in the Sistine Chapel."

Vittori displayed the ribbon during the recording conversation, letting it move in face of him.

"I took with me the strike and I earmark this strike to move in face of me to shew microgravity. I shall impart you rattling such for this opportunity and I would same to earmark this strike to move to my friend and associate Paolo," Vittori said. He module attain convey on Earth on the Soyuz. I brought it with me to expanse and he module take downbound on Earth to then give backwards to you."

The Catholic thanked the crew members for this "wonderful opportunity" to speech with them.

"Humanity is experiencing a punctuation of extremely fast advancement in the fields of technological knowledge and theoretical applications," he said. "In a sense, you are our representatives spearheading humanity's expedition of newborn spaces and possibilities for our future, going beyond the limitations of our routine existence."

"You hit helped me and many another grouping to emit unitedly on essential issues which affectionateness the forthcoming of humanity. I desire you the rattling prizewinning for your impact and for the success of your great assignment in the assist of science, international collaboration, authentic advancement and for pact in the world. I module continue to follow you in my thoughts and prayers and in invitation I impart my historic blessing."

You crapper follow parliamentarian Pearlman on Twitter at @robertpearlman. Follow SPACE.com for the latest in expanse noesis and expedition programme on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

• VIDEO: Catholic Talks to Space Station
• Photos: Shuttle Endeavour's Final Mission - Part 2
• 'Rapture Parties' Planned to Celebrate Doomsday Saturday May 21

Source