Pope to get closer to heavens with call to space station

FILE PHOTO - Pope Francis looks on during a private audience with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (not pictured) at the Vatican October 9, 2017. REUTERS/Andreas Solaro/Pool

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis will get closer to the heavens this month when he puts in a call to the International Space Station.

The Vatican said on Monday the pope would make the call at 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) on October 26. It gave no further details, but Francis has supported the work of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, which regularly brings together scientists from around the world to exchange views on topics such as climate change.