Pope Francis met with more than 100 comedians from around the world at the Vatican in Rome, including Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock and Whoopi Goldberg.
The pope said comedians have “the power to spread calm and smiles” in a world where people are caught in “many social and personal emergencies”.
“You can unite people because laughter is contagious,” he added.
The entertainers held a reception at the Vatican just hours before the pope is expected to travel to Puglia for the G7 summit.
In an audience with 107 comedians from 15 countries, the Pope praised their ability to make people smile.
“Of course, you can also laugh at God, but it is not blasphemy,” the pope told the comedian, adding that “this can be done without offending the religious feelings of the faithful”.
Comedian Jimmy Fallon was seen frolicking at the front of the auditorium before the meeting began – and was reportedly quickly told to take a seat as the pope was about to walk through the door, US media reported.
Fallon will be joined by other big names from the entertainment industry, including American comedian Chris Rock, Italy’s Silvio Orlando and British actor and comedian Stephen Merchant.
Comedian Whoopi Goldberg, known for “Sister Act,” and Julia Louis-Dreyfus from the hit show “Veep,” also attended the event.
The cultural event was held before the Pope attended the G7 summit in the Puglia region of southern Italy. This was the first time that the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics attended the summit of the world’s seven largest developed economies.
The 87-year-old pope has called for global regulation of artificial intelligence, warning of its threats to ethics and human rights.
Referring to current global events, the pope told the comedian that while communication today “often creates conflict,” entertainers are able to bring different realities together.
“We have a lot to learn from you,” he added.
After the audience ended, the pope met briefly with each comedian and exchanged a few words with each one — though some of the interactions were a little one-sided.
Late-night host Conan O’Brien quipped: “Well, the speech was brief and he spoke in Italian, so I’m not really sure what he said.”
“It was fast… I had a great time,” he added.
