Pope Francis Invites Comedians to Vatican

June 10, 2024

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Pope Francis, known for his prayer “Lord, give me a sense of humour,” will welcome comedians from around the world to a cultural event in Italy on June 14. The event, organized by the Vatican, aims to “celebrate the beauty of human diversity.”

Among the more than 100 entertainers invited are Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien, and Chris Rock. The Vatican acknowledged the “significant impact that the art of comedy has on contemporary culture.”

British comedian Stephen Merchant, co-writer of The Office, and Italian comedian Lino Banfi will also attend the event. The meeting will take place before Pope Francis travels to Puglia for the Group of Seven (G7) leaders’ summit.

The Vatican stated that the gathering aims to promote peace, love, and solidarity. The event is organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education and Dicastery for Communication.

In a recent interview, Goldberg mentioned she had humorously offered the pope a cameo in Sister Act 3, and he replied he’d see what his schedule was like.

Article written by Shem Banbury - Kiwi Kids News Editor

This article was written using AI as an assistive tool for research and writing.

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Recall Questions

Thinking questions

Digital Thinking

Learning Options

Recall Questions

Thinking questions

Digital Thinking

At a local reserve near Rotorua, a group of Year 8 students helped with a native planting project. Before the project began, the area was dry and muddy, with only a few struggling grasses left beside the stream. Over several weekends, volunteers planted more than 300 young kānuka, mānuka, and carex plants. They also laid mulch to hold moisture in the soil and placed protective guards around each plant so rabbits would not eat the leaves.

After three months, the students noticed that insects had started returning to the reserve. Small birds were feeding in the new shrubs, and the stream edge looked less bare. The group recorded the growth of the plants and compared it with earlier photos. Their teacher said the project showed how careful work can slowly improve a damaged place.

What is the main idea of this passage?

The students and volunteers worked to restore a damaged reserve with native planting. The students learned how to identify insects living near a stream. Rabbits caused the greatest problem for the students during weekends. The reserve was always full of healthy native plants and birds.