This Friday, the Pope will meet at the Vatican with 105 comedians from around the world, including the Portuguese Ricardo Araujo Pereira, Joana Marques and Maria Rueff, to “establish a dialogue between the Catholic Church” and this cultural sector.
The meeting is organized by the Dicastery of Culture and Education, chaired by Portuguese Cardinal José Tolentino Mendonça, and the Dicastery of Communications of the Holy See and is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. (Italian time) in the Sala Clementina in the Vatican.
“Francisco recognizes the enormous influence that the art of comedy has on the world of modern culture. Thanks to the humorous talent and unifying value of laughter, today unique reflections on the human condition and historical situation are offered. Moreover, the art of comedy can contribute to the creation of a more empathetic and supportive world,” the Holy See said in a statement about Friday’s event.
According to the guest list published by the Holy See, in addition to the three Portuguese, Pope Francis is expected to meet with Brazilian Fabio Porchat or Americans Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon and Conan O’Brien.
With this initiative, the head of the Catholic Church intends to “celebrate the beauty of human diversity and promote a message of peace, love and solidarity.”
At a meeting with artists in June 2023, the Pope said that comedians, namely actors, artists, cartoonists, writers, have “the ability to invent new variables for the world” through irony, which is a “wonderful virtue.”