‘You unite people, because laughter is contagious,’ Pope Francis tells star-studded cast of global comedians

As world leaders gather in Italy for a summit addressing entrenched global crises, Pope Francis hosted an international gathering of a different sort on Friday to broadcast his own message – of the importance of humor.

As world leaders gather in Italy for a summit addressing entrenched global crises, Pope Francis hosted an international gathering of a different sort on Friday to broadcast his own message – of the importance of humor. The leader of the Catholic Church hosted the equivalent of a conclave of comedians in the Vatican by inviting Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien and others to the Vatican. Over 200 people were in the audience at the Apostolic Palace, with more than 100 comedians from 15 countries. Goldberg and Louis-Dreyfus were visible in the front row. Before proceedings got under way Fallon was seen larking around at the front of the audience hall, before quickly being told to get to his seat as the pope was about to walk through the door. “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,” the pontiff told the gathering. “You unite people, because laughter is contagious,” he said, adding that he has prayed for 40 years for a good sense of humor, adding his own joke and the end, where he asked the audience to “pray for him, not against” – and was obliged with laughter from the crowd.