INTERNATIONAL Space Station Commander Randy Bresnik has told Pope Francis his greatest joy working on the orbiting lab is being able to “see God’s creation maybe a little bit from his perspective”.
They spoke during a phone call between the Vatican and six crew members on the space station.
The Pope asked the crew - three Americans, two Russians and an Italian - what gives them the most joy in their work.
Bresnik, a US Marine who flew combat missions during the Iraq War, said what strikes him is that in space there are “no borders, there is no conflict, it’s just peaceful”.
He added: “People cannot come up here and see the indescribable beauty of our Earth and not be touched in their souls.
“You see the thinness of the atmosphere, it makes you realise how fragile our existence here is.”
Francis asked the crew how they understand Dante’s verse that love is the force that moves the universe.
Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin said he had been reading St Exupery’s The Little Prince in space and was taken by the child’s understanding of love.
He told Francis: “Love is the force that gives you strength to give your life for someone else.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here