Vatican congratulates Obama on Nobel

In response to this morning's announcement that U.S. President Barack Obama would be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, the Vatican Press Office released a statement of congratulations.

An NCR translation from the Italian follows:

In its announcement, the Norwegian Nobel Committee hailed Obama's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

The committee said it attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.