\n<\/p>\n
Did you hear the one about the Pope and the comedians?<\/p>\n
At a unique celebration of humor<\/a> on June 14, Pope Francis hosted an audience unique in the annals of the Holy See\u2014over 100 jokesters, late-night hosts and other assorted comedians of all shapes, sizes and styles, representing 15 nations\u2014gathered together in Clementine Hall in the Vatican\u2019s Apostolic Palace, the papal residence.<\/p>\n The not-so-tough room included such luminaries of laughter as Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Conan O\u2019Brien.<\/p>\n The Pope appeared to be enjoying himself as he addressed the audience, spreading his arms and gesturing back with a playful grin as the audience mugged back at him and laughed.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to spread peace and smiles,\u201d Francis told them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou unite people, because laughter is contagious,\u201d he continued, asking jokingly, \u201cPlease pray for me: for, not against!\u201d<\/p>\n Aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists, the Pope observed that at the time of Creation, God was \u201cthe first spectator in history,\u201d taking delight in the works he had made.<\/p>\n \u201cRemember this,\u201d he added. \u201cWhen you manage to bring intelligent smiles to the lips of even a single spectator, you also make God smile.\u201d<\/p>\n Francis also said it was OK to \u201claugh at God\u201d in the same way \u201cwe play and joke with the people we love.\u201d<\/p>\n After his short address, the pontiff met briefly with each of his guests. Comic Stephen Colbert, himself a devout Catholic, was plainly delighted. He said he reminded the Pope that he had voiced the audio for the Pope\u2019s memoir, Life: My Story Through History<\/em>, imitating the broken Italian in which he communicated to the Holy Father. \u201cAnd he said like this\u2014give me your hand [grabbing the interviewer\u2019s hand and pumping it]\u2014he goes like this: \u2018AHHH!!\u2019 It was wonderful, he\u2019ll never forget me!\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was great. It was really fast and really loving and made me happy,\u201d beamed Whoopi Goldberg. Late-night host Conan O\u2019Brien commented, \u201cTo be in that room and to be with all my fellow comedians, some of whom I\u2019ve been good friends with for many years, in that environment, was quite strange. All of us were thinking, how did this happen? Why are we here, and when are they going to throw us out?\u201d<\/p>\n Photo credits: Pope Francis, in his visit to Colombia<\/a> by Juantenaphoto<\/a>,\u00a0CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
![Pope Francis, in his visit to Colombia<\/a> by](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Pope_Francis,_Juan_David_Tena.jpg\"){kind=link}