The Pope received in audience at the Vatican a large group of comedians from different countries around the world. “In your own way, you unite people, because laughter is contagious. You know how to awaken the critical sense without sowing alarm or terror and without humiliating anyone. Help us, with your smile, to see reality with its contradictions and to dream of a better world”.
Vatican City () – “Can we also laugh at God? Of course, and this is not a blasphemy: we can laugh, the same way we play and joke with the people we love. And the Jewish wisdom and literary tradition is an example in this sense. “It can be done, but without offending the religious feelings of believers, especially the poor.”
This morning, Pope Francis received 107 humor artists from 15 different countries in a somewhat unusual audience – which took place in the Clementine Hall of the Vatican. The initiative was promoted by the Department of Culture and Education. Along with a large group of very popular comedians from Italy, faces known to audiences from all over the world were present: from actress Whoopi Goldberg to American network stars such as Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Chris Rock. And also other significant faces due to their origin, such as the French-Algerian comedian Redouane Bougheraba or the German actress of Turkish origin Meltem Kaptan. The only Asian name that appeared on the list released by the Holy See is the East Timorese artist, Rivelino Barro Gonçalves.
“You are some of those that people love, seek and applaud the most. Surely because they are good; but there is also another reason: you have and cultivate the gift of making people laugh – said Francesco, warmly praising this form of spectacle -. In the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in so many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to sow serenity and smiles. In your own way, you bring people together, because laughter is contagious. It is easier to laugh together than being alone: joy opens us to sharing and is the best antidote to selfishness and individualism. Laughing also helps break down social barriers and create connections between people.”
To these artists Francis ideally delivered the famous prayer of Saint Thomas More (1478-1535) that begins with the words: Give me, Lord, a sense of humor. “I like to pray with these words every day – he said -. It is a grace that I always ask for, because it makes me take things in the right spirit.”
“You also achieve another miracle – added the Pope -. They manage to make people smile even when they face problems, the small and big circumstances of the story. They denounce the excesses of power; they give voice to forgotten situations; they expose abuses; they denounce inappropriate behavior… But without causing alarm or terror, anxiety or fear, as a large part of communication does; They awaken the critical sense by making people laugh and smile. And they do it by telling life stories, narrating reality, from an original point of view; and that way they talk to people about small and big problems.
Francis also cited a passage of Scripture (Proverbs 8:30-31) that says that divine Wisdom “played in the presence of God.” “You practice your art for nothing less than the benefit of God himself, who is the first spectator in history – commented the pontiff -. Remember: when you make intelligent smiles appear, even on the lips of a single spectator – and what I will say now is not a heresy – you also make God smile.” On the other hand, he continued, God himself seems to be making a Abraham and Sarah joke when he promises them a son when they were already old and had no descendants. To the point that Genesis explains the name of Isaac with the words of Sarah: “God has given me reasons to laugh” (Gen 21:6). ).
“Humor does not offend, it does not humiliate, it does not reduce people to their defects – said Francisco -. While today communication often provokes confrontations, you know how to unite different and sometimes even contrary realities. How much we need to learn from you. Continue to communicate joy to people – he concluded – especially to those who find it more difficult to look at life with hope. Help us, with a smile, to see reality with its contradictions and to dream of a better world.”
Add Comment