In an unprecedented display of praise for a pop figure, Vatican Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi tweeted encomium to David Bowie in honor of his passing, offering a final blessing for the rock star with lyrics from one of his most famous songs.

Drawing inspiration from Bowie’s 1969 hit A Space Oddity, in which the artist sings of the fictional launch and demise of astronaut “Major Tom,” Ravasi, who serves as the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, prayed “may God’s love be with you.” MORE