Space station Pope – Francis calls the astronauts

Pope Francis telephoned the International Space Station yesterday.

The call, which was organised by the European Space Agency and NASA, aimed to connect Francis with the astronauts on board the space station – three Americans, two Russians and one Italian.

The Vatican planned for the phone call to be transmitted live by its Television Center.

Although the phone call was timed to take place after this issue of CathNews went to print, it is possible to catch up with what Francis and the astronauts said via a webcast of the in-flight interview on NASA TV and the Vatican’s YouTube page.

This will be the second time Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli has received a phone call from a pope. He was on board when Pope emeritus Benedict XVI called the space station in 2011.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the archbishop of Galveston-Houston, was booked to join the Pope for the call.

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