![Heard the one about the pope? He says it's OK now to laugh at God](https://cdn.magzter.com/1588175106/1718420259/articles/qOiOCG9Wf1718435822881/HEARD-THE-ONE-ABOUT-THE-POPE-HE-SAYS-ITS-OK-NOW-TO-LAUGH-AT-GOD.jpg)
The pontiff, himself prone to the odd quip, invited comedians including Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Stephen Merchant to the audience at the Apostolic Palace as part of his attempt to engage with contemporary culture.
"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 spread peace and smiles," Francis, 87, said in a speech issued to the press by the Holy See.
"You are among the few to have the ability to speak to very different people, from different generations and cultural backgrounds. You unite people, because laughter is contagious."
Denne historien er fra June 15, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra June 15, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
![Workers' rights Reform plans 'backed by senior managers'](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/21665/1824520/0vlRUaos41725692434328/WORKERS-RIGHTS-REFORM-PLANS-BACKED-BY-SENIOR-MANAGERS.jpg)
Workers' rights Reform plans 'backed by senior managers'
Labour's plans to boost workers' rights have widespread support from senior managers, a survey suggests, as the TUC hits back at corporate lobbying against the proposals.
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Starmer: We will tackle people smuggling gangs in same way we dealt with rioters
Keir Starmer has vowed to break up people-smuggling gangs in the same manner used to apprehend and jail hundreds of rioters this summer.
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Gustafsson quits as CEO of Darktrace after sale
Poppy Gustafsson, the co-founder and chief executive of the British cybersecurity firm Darktrace, is to leave the company after its $5.3bn (£4.2bn) sale to the US private equity business Thoma Bravo.
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Owner of Ivy 'close to deal' to sell chain to private equity
Richard Caring and fellow shareholders are reportedly close to selling the Ivy chain of restaurants for £1bn to a little-known private equity group.
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'Like a boiling pot' - How the maelstrom under Greenland's glaciers may help slow sea level rise
There are stadium-sized blocks of ice crashing from the soaring face of the Kangerlussuup glacier in western Greenland, fierce underwater currents of meltwater shooting out from its base and visibility below the surface is virtually zero owing to a torrent of suspended mud and sand. It's little wonder scientists have never explored this maelstrom.
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The state of the race - Why North Carolina shows how tight the US election really is
The narrow geographical focus of the US presidential election is becoming sharply apparent, with the first ballots to determine the next occupant of the White House starting to be mailed out to voters.
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Amsterdam's pot crackdown: pavement gardeners bemused over city's new rules
Residents have reacted with bemusement at plans by authorities in Amsterdam to crack down on what it sees as a plague of messy plant pots.
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US-Turkish woman, 26, shot dead at West Bank protest
A US-Turkish dual national has been shot dead reportedly by Israeli troops while participating in a protest against settler expansion in the occupied West Bank.
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Poltava Military faces questions over toll in strike on 'elite' facility
Polina Melnyk and Ihor Tkachov were having breakfast on Tuesday when they heard the whistle of a missile fly low over their Poltava apartment block and, moments later, the sound of two explosions.
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Abandoned sports centre may become first national skate park
An abandoned sports centre that escaped demolition after being turned into a backup Covid morgue could get a new role as Britain's first national skateboarding park.