Pope Francis meets more than 100 comedians at the Vatican: ‘You also make God smile’

Giada Zampano, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before flying to Italy’s confederate Puglia region to meet world leaders astatine nan Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different assemblage astatine nan Vatican connected Friday celebrating nan value of humor.

The pontiff welcomed much than 100 comedians from 15 nations, including U.S. celebrities Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien.

“In nan midst of truthful overmuch gloomy news, immersed arsenic we are successful galore societal and moreover individual emergencies, you person nan powerfulness to dispersed bid and smiles,” Francis told nan comedians.

“You merge people, because laughter is contagious,” he continued, asking jokingly, “Please believe for me: for, not against!”

Francis pointed retired that successful nan creation, “Divine contented practiced your creation for nan use of nary different than God himself, nan first spectator successful history,” pinch God delighting successful nan useful that he had made.

“Remember this,” he added. “When you negociate to bring intelligent smiles to nan lips of moreover a azygous spectator, you besides make God smile.”

Francis besides said it was OK to “laugh astatine God” successful nan aforesaid measurement “we play and joke pinch nan group we love.”

After delivering his speech, Francis greeted each nan comedians individually, sharing laughs and jokes pinch immoderate of them.

“It was great, it was very accelerated and really loving, and made maine happy,” Goldberg said afterward.

O’Brien noted that nan pope “spoke successful Italian, truthful I’m not rather judge what was said.”

“To beryllium successful that room and to beryllium pinch each my chap comedians, immoderate of whom I’ve been bully friends pinch for galore years, successful that environment, was rather strange,” nan TV big added. “All of america were thinking, really did this happen? Why are we here, and erstwhile are they going to propulsion america out?”

Colbert admitted his Italian “is really bad, I would for illustration to speak it better.” But he managed to punctual nan pope that he had done nan audiobook for his memoir.

“It was wonderful, he’ll ne'er hide me,” he joked.