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Pope invites comedians such as Chris Rock, Whoopie Goldberg to Vatican
June 8, 2024
Article Body TextVATICAN CITY — <p>Pope Francis, who says he regularly prays "Lord, give me a sense of humor," will welcome comedians from around the world to a cultural event in Italy to "celebrate the beauty of human diversity," the Vatican said Saturday. </p> <p>Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien and Chris Rock will be among more than 100 entertainers at the Vatican on June 14. </p> <p>The pope "recognizes the significant impact that the art of comedy has on the world of contemporary culture," a Vatican statement said. </p> <p>British comedian Stephen Merchant — the co-writer of the TV comedy series "The Office" — and Italian comedian Lino Banfi will also be at the event. </p> <p>The meeting will take place Friday morning, before the pope travels to Puglia to attend the Group of Seven (G7) leaders' summit. </p> <p>"The meeting between Pope Francis and the world's comedians aims to celebrate the beauty of human diversity and to promote a message of peace, love and solidarity," the Vatican said. </p> <p>The audience has been organized by the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education and Dicastery for Communication. </p> <p>Goldberg last month said in an interview that she had offered the pope a cameo in "Sister Act 3," in which she will reprise her comedy role of a singer who takes refuge in a convent and organizes a choir. </p> <p>"He said he would see what his time was like," Goldberg said joking, when asked if the pope had accepted her offer. </p>
Content TypeText
LanguageEnglish
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
Subtitles / Dubbing AvailableNo
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJune 8, 2024 15:31 EDT
BylineReuters
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
