Over 100 comedians from around the world took to the Vatican on Friday to meet with Pope Francis to “spread serenity and smiles.”
Names like Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Julia Louis-Dreyfus attended the star-studded function in the heart of Rome to get a chance at some one-on-one time with the Catholic leader, who also gave remarks to the crowd, sans "f-slurs" — a departure from his behavior in recent weeks.
"You unite people because laughter is contagious," the Pope said to the 107 comics from 15 countries, per BBC. "You can also laugh at God, of course, and that's not blasphemy. It can be done without offending the religious feelings of believers."
Conan O'Brien, vocal about his Catholic upbringing, said that he enjoyed hearing the Pope, but quipped about the language barrier.
"Well it was brief, he spoke in Italian, so I'm not quite sure what was said," he joked.
While not every comedian present was of a Catholic background, like “Sister Act” star Whoopi Goldberg, the entertainers were united by a shared love of making people laugh, the Pope said.
“In the midst of so much gloomy news,” Francis told the group of jokesters, “you denounce abuses of power, you give voice to forgotten situations, you highlight abuses, you point out inappropriate behavior.”
The Pope — who can’t seem to stop using homophobic slurs, but was on his best behavior for these comedians — is at somewhat of a PR impasse, dodging charges of being too progressive from conservative elements of his church while leading slow progress towards LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Shortly after headlining the conference of humorists, the Pope headed to Puglia, Italy to speak to world leaders, including the Catholic U.S. President Joe Biden, at the G7 summit.
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