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

By GIADA ZAMPANO
Associated Press

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 celebrating the importance of humor. The pontiff welcomed more than 100 comedians from 15 nations, including U.S. celebrities Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien. Francis told the comedians: “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.” He added: “When you manage to bring intelligent smiles to the lips of even a single spectator, you also make God smile.”