You can joke about God, Pope Francis
told over 100 comics in the Vatican Friday.
"Can you joke about God?" the pope asked comedians including
Whoopi Goldberg and Luciana Littizzetto in the Clementine Room
before setting off for the G7 summit in Puglia.
"Of course you can, it isn't blasphemy, it's like playing and
joking with the people we love.
"You can do it, but without offending the religious feelings of
the believers, above all the poor".
Francis stressed that "joking about God makes God smile and
laugh too".
Gioldberg was asked if she would ask the pope to take part in
Sister Act III, now being shot, and replied "today wasn't the
right occasion for that, but I'll probably send him an email on
it".
She said meeting the Argentine pontiff had been "a wonderful
day".
Littizzetto read out St Thomas's good humour prayer and said
"today is a day of joy, we usually only see each other at
funerals."
Another Italian comedienne, Geppi Cucciari, brought Francis a
bottle of her native Sardinian wine while Christian De Sica, the
comic actor son of the late great director Vittorio, said "the
Pope is wittier than us".
He said the pope had confided in him that he had seen his
father's classic Miracle in Milan five times.
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