Pope Says Astronauts See Earth ‘From the Eyes of God’

Pope Says Astronauts See Earth ‘From the Eyes of God’

FWS - It was not just another day of circling the heavens for the astronauts. They had a 20-minute video call with the heavenly father.

Pope Francis, in his first-ever conversation with the six-person crew aboard the International Space Station, reflected with them on their view of the world, which is from 250 miles up.

“What gives me the greatest joy, everyday, is being able to look outside and see God’s creation, maybe a little bit from his perspective,” Randy Bresnik, an American member of the crew, told the pontiff during the call on Thursday.

The pope and the crew marveled that the view from the space station was one that the vast majority of people on Earth would never see.

“You have gone to look at it from the eyes of God,” Pope Francis said, reflecting on their observations while drawing on stories of their personal journeys to become astronauts. “Roots are our hope and our strength. Don’t forget roots. It has done me good to hear this and to hear it from you.”

Throughout the call, the video of which the Vatican released, Pope Francis was seated at a desk in front of a large television screen with a view inside the space station, listening to the crew with apparent wonder.

The space station is currently inhabited by two Russians, three Americans and one Italian, and they emphasized that the international partnership was an example to the world.

“As we see that the peace and serenity of our planet as it goes around at 10 kilometers a second and there’s no borders, there’s no conflict; it’s just peaceful,” Mr. Bresnik said. “And you see the thinnest of the atmosphere and makes you realize how fragile our existence here is.”

Near the end of the conversation, the Italian astronaut, Paolo Nespoli, who had been translating the messages of his fellow crew members into Italian, expressed his appreciation to the pope.

“Thank you for being with us and for taking us higher, for bringing us out of our daily mechanical routine, to make us reflect on things that are greater than us,” Mr. Nespoli said.(nytimes)