Pope speaks with crew on space station
Astronauts on the international space station gather for a conversation Saturday with Pope Benedict XVI.
May 21st, 2011
09:34 AM ET

Pope speaks with crew on space station

Pope Benedict XVI spoke Saturday with the astronauts aboard the international space station, specifically mentioning Cmdr. Mark Kelly's wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who is recuperating from recent surgery on her skull.

"I know that Mark and his wife were the victim of a serious attack, and I hope that her health continues to improve," the pope said.

Kelly thanked the pope for mentioning Giffords. The Arizona congresswoman was shot in the head in a January assassination attempt.

The two men also talked about how technology used in space may be able to help relations between people on Earth.

"I think it must be obvious to you how we all live together on one Earth, and how absurd it is that we fight and kill each one," the pontiff said.

"We fly over most of the world and we don't see borders, but at the same time we realize that people fight with each other and there is a lot of violence in this world," Kelly said.

Unlike on Earth, technology on the space station allows for almost unlimited power from the sun, he said.

"If these technologies could be adopted more on Earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence," he said.

The space shuttle Endeavour launched Monday on a 16-day mission.

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Filed under: Energy • Gabrielle Giffords • Religion • Shuttle • Space • Vatican
soundoff (79 Responses)
  1. Cricket

    Oh, I forgot to tell you, it was another thread we had this conversation on. Mea culpa on that one.
    And I do not bark orders, thank you.
    I leave that to the GOP'ers who want to play war with innocents.

    May 21, 2011 at 9:53 pm | Report abuse |
    • supremeamerican

      You mean like 'Mr. i'll bring our troops home' Obama has been doing for the past 2 and a half years?

      May 21, 2011 at 10:09 pm | Report abuse |
  2. Ellis

    I want Sky f/a/g in my butt right now. I'm a rump ranger.

    May 21, 2011 at 9:58 pm | Report abuse |
  3. Ellis

    Just woke up. I had a nightmare. I dreamed that I wasn't gay. I actually wanted women. Ha! To make it worse,Cricket and I were married and in love. We were both eye doctors with several kids. Cricket wore burgandy lingerie. Wake me up! Help!!!!!!!!!!

    May 22, 2011 at 3:48 am | Report abuse |
  4. Cricket

    See what I MEAN about trolls?

    @superamerican:
    No, I mean like "let's go to war over false WMD" Bush and "let's shoot a moose, and everything else in sight" Palin.

    May 22, 2011 at 11:44 am | Report abuse |
    • Ruderal

      Sound's like palin's synoptics administration that engineered the ultra secret psychic visual Communications systems to hijack Jeffery Lee Loughner and make him commit to the mass murder on the congress on your corner event in Arizona, you know! the one that killed a federal judge an innocent little girl and critically wounded an Arizona congress woman!....... Yeah that synoptics administration!!. Is it Russian and their taunting Captain Kelly showing him how stupid the people of the united states is to allow someone like George H. W. Bush to trust the entire world in this ultra secret psychic visual bionic spy manipulations communications systems manipulations communication's systems that promoted the school shooting's too!.?. Oh! Boy! this is so exciting, someone call Roseanna Anna Danna.

      May 22, 2011 at 5:46 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Ruderal

    In this Picture it looks like the Russians are toying with Captain Kelly. Has all the new development's in the ultra secret CIA RMS psychic visual spy manipulations really been handed over to the Russians when Ronald Reagan went to Russia and gave Russia 2 more alphabetic character's in their Alphabet.?. ?

    May 22, 2011 at 5:27 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Ruderal

    It takes a miserable country to bank on a doomsday scenario. so is it both Russia and mexico that thought they didn't have anything to live for after decenber 21 2012. and that's why they changed the propaganda to may 21st????????????

    May 22, 2011 at 6:03 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Ruderal

    How much vodka do those dood's&ette's drink when they're at ease. look's like they didn't miss too many bottles.

    May 22, 2011 at 6:05 pm | Report abuse |
  8. Ruderal

    Ha Ha.

    May 22, 2011 at 6:06 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Ruderal

    Be Aware of the T.W.A............. Tyrannous Wiseacre Acculturation's.

    May 22, 2011 at 6:08 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Kuddln

    I hope all the astronauts make home safely ! They're all up there doing great research... ensuring that one-day, we all can send our Children's children for exploration possibilities. HOOOAH !

    May 22, 2011 at 7:34 pm | Report abuse |
  11. helenecha

    I'm curious. If birds were there, how would they perform anyway?

    May 22, 2011 at 9:06 pm | Report abuse |
  12. ThePopeAsksTheAstronauts

    Can you see the sun revolving around the earth from up there?

    May 23, 2011 at 12:43 am | Report abuse |
  13. Christian

    How is unlimited power from the sun related to lasting peace on earth?

    May 23, 2011 at 1:56 am | Report abuse |
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