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Pope Blesses Astronauts

First-ever papal call to space.

The pope called the International Space Station to bless the 12 astronauts on board Saturday. In the first papal call to space, Benedict XVI called the astronauts “our representatives spearheading humanity's exploration of new spaces and possibilities for our future,” and said he admired their courage, discipline, and commitment. "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.” U.S. commander Mark Kelly told the pope that borders can't be seen from space, and that perhaps if we harnessed solar energy like the space station uses, people would no longer fight over resources. The pope also told Kelly, who is Catholic, that he hoped his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, continued to recover from her shooting. Benedict also consoled Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli, whose 78-year-old mother died while he was on board the space station. Nespoli will return to Earth Monday. Kelly and the U.S. crew are scheduled to land June 1, completing the second-to-last mission for the U.S. shuttle program.