On June 14, 2024, Pope Francis received more than 100 comedians in Clementine Hall at the Vatican. Attendees included Whoopi Goldberg, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, and Conan O’Brien. The Vatican presented the audience as a way to link the Catholic Church with comic artists, and the pope framed comedy as a force that can unite people and spread peace and smiles.
Event details
The Holy See’s official calendar lists the audience as the “Meeting of Pope Francis with Comedians,” held on June 14, 2024, at 8:30 in Clementine Hall. Reports from the day agree on the venue and the mix of attendees, but the calendar itself is the only source for the scheduled time.
Why the Vatican organized the meeting
Vatican News reported in advance, on June 8, 2024, that the audience was jointly organized by the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Dicastery for Communication. The stated purpose was to establish a link between the Church and comic artists. The organizers framed the gathering around celebrating human diversity and promoting peace, love, solidarity, joy, and hope.
The advance report also described the event as involving more than 100 entertainers. Post-event reporting from the Associated Press gave the same general scale, so the figure should be read as a reported attendance level rather than an exact headcount.
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What the pope said about laughter
According to the Associated Press, Francis began by acknowledging the difficult context of the moment. In the English wording AP printed, he 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: “You unite people, because laughter is contagious.”
AP also reported a line that the pope made about the value of humor: “When you manage to bring intelligent smiles to the lips of even a single spectator, you also make God smile.” These English renderings come from AP’s report. They are not a separately published official English transcript, so readers who need the exact Italian wording should consult the Vatican’s own published text.
What the comedians said
The accounts from the day are brief. Each reaction below is attributed to the outlet that reported it.
Whoopi Goldberg
Vatican News reported that Goldberg joked she had not asked Francis to appear in Sister Act III, but said she might send him an email. AP quoted her describing the meeting: “It was great, it was very fast and really loving, and made me happy.”
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Stephen Colbert
Vatican News reported that Colbert followed the English version of the pope’s text and was curious about what Francis had added in Italian. Catholic News Service, published by the USCCB, reported that Colbert told the pope in Italian that he had voiced the audiobook version of Francis’s autobiography.
Conan O’Brien
AP quoted O’Brien after the audience: “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.”
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What the reports do and do not establish
- Logistics (date, time, venue, organizers) come from the Holy See calendar and Vatican News.
- Attendance (“more than 100” and 15 nations) is reported by Vatican News and AP. It is not a verified headcount.
- The pope’s remarks are reported through AP’s English rendering.
- Attendee reactions are short remarks reported by Vatican News, Catholic News Service, and AP. The Catholic News Service account says the comedians greeted Francis individually at the end of the audience.
The reporting describes a group audience, not a private or extended conversation. The published accounts contain no survey or study measuring whether comedy changes behavior or attitudes. Francis’s statements about laughter are his own reflections on the role of comedians, not research findings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The autobiography connection
The one physical product tied to the event is Francis’s autobiography, Life: My Story Through History, which Colbert said he had voiced in audiobook form. Readers who want the book should confirm the current edition and the available format before buying, since the reporting does not establish current availability or pricing.
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