Post by Atticus Pizzaballa on Jun 15, 2024 11:00:20 GMT -5
Pope Francis tells visiting comedians it’s okay to ‘laugh at God’
Pontiff hosts group of comic actors, including many prominent names, for reception at Vatican hailing the importance of humor: ‘You also make God smile’
By GIADA ZAMPANO
14 June 2024, 8:54 pm
Pope Francis shakes hands with US comedian Jimmy Fallon, host of NBC's 'The Tonight Show,' during an audience with comedians in The Vatican, June 14, 2024. (Handout: Vatican Media / AFP)
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before flying to Italy’s southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different audience at the Vatican on Friday celebrating the importance of humor.
The pontiff welcomed more than 100 comedians from 15 nations, including American celebrities Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien.
“In 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,” Francis told the comedians.
“You unite people, because laughter is contagious,” he continued, asking jokingly, “Please pray for me: for, not against!”
Francis pointed out that in the creation, “Divine wisdom practiced your art for the benefit of none other than God himself, the first spectator in history,” with God delighting in the works that he had made.
“Remember this,” he added. “When you manage to bring intelligent smiles to the lips of even a single spectator, you also make God smile.”
Pope Francis during an audience with comedians in The Vatican, June 14, 2024. (Simone Risoluti / Vatican Media / AFP)
Francis also said it was okay to “laugh at God” in the same way that “we play and joke with the people we love.”
After delivering his speech, Francis greeted all the comedians individually, sharing laughs and jokes with some of them.
Pope Francis shakes hands with US actress Whoopi Goldberg during an audience with comedians at The Vatican, June 14, 2024. (Simone Risoluti / Vatican Media / AFP)
“It was great, it was very fast and really loving, and made me happy,” Goldberg said afterward.
O’Brien noted that the pope “spoke in Italian, so I’m not quite sure what was said.”
“To be in that room and to be with all my fellow comedians, some of whom I’ve been good friends with for many years, in that environment, was quite strange,” the TV host added. “All of us were thinking, how did this happen? Why are we here, and when are they going to throw us out?”
Colbert admitted his Italian “is really bad, I would like to speak it better.” But he managed to remind the pope that he had done the audiobook for his memoir.
“It was wonderful, he’ll never forget me,” he joked.
www.timesofisrael.com/pope-francis-tells-visiting-comedians-its-okay-to-laugh-at-god/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2024-06-15&utm_medium=email
Often in my walking about I somehow find myself full of thankfulness for His creation and then find something along the way that doesn't fit into that aspect of His creation and make a remark to God that I am sure brings a smile and laugh out of Him.
I have a book someplace in my arsenal that I picked up along the journey through Grad school dealing with prayer, meditation and laughter with God. If I remember that was included in a book about the two natures, attributes, dichotomy if you will of God: God of the City and the God of the Country.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_City_of_God