Pope Francis believes the world needs to laugh more. He's right

As an experienced class clown who long has felt the power of comedy to be vastly underappreciated, I was more than tickled to hear that Pope Francis had invited more than 100 comedians to an audience at the Vatican.

- Clarence Page Tribune

Blessed are the mirth makers, I thought - along with, does he know what he's doing? The guests included such big-name comics as Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O'Brien, Jim Gaffigan, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tig Notaro, Mike Birbiglia, Kathleen Madigan and David Sedaris.

It turns out that Pope Francis also is a big believer in the power of comedy and has praised its power to help bring about a more empathetic and sympathetic world.

Irony is a central element in humor, he noted in a separate meeting with artists in the Sistine Chapel last year, where he praised their ability "to dream up new versions of the world" and often do so "with irony, which is a wonderful virtue." In this latest session with comedians, he went one further and reassured them that God likes a good joke, even at his own expense. The Pope told the comics they need not be concerned about being too irreverent, always a fear among those paid to make us laugh.