African bishops attending a Vatican meeting are speaking about the election of Barack Obama in divine terms—putting them very much at odds with many of their U.S. counterparts. Archbishop Gabriel Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Ghana said Wednesday that there was “a divine plan behind” Obama’s election. “It’s like the biblical story repeating itself,” he told reporters, citing the Old Testament figure Joseph, who after being sold into slavery in Egypt ends up becoming a top official. “We believe God has his own plans. God directs history,” he said of the U.S. election. “We pray that it (Obama’s presidency) brings blessings for Africa and the whole world.” He acknowledged that Obama has earned the wrath of many conservative American bishops because of his support for abortion rights. Earlier this year, dozens of U.S. bishops denounced the leading U.S. Catholic university, Notre Dame, for giving Obama an honorary degree. “We are definitely aware of it,” Palmer-Buckle said. “But we feel it our duty to meet him and find out what are the things that unite us more than divide us.”