Stephen Colbert and Cardinal Timothy Dolan as tag team comedians

Irish Central ^ | September 16, 2012 | PATRICK COUNIHAN

[Alex Murphy]

Comedian Stephen Colbert and New York’s Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan brought the house when they displayed the funny side of Catholicism at Fordham University.

The New York Times reports that the unlikely comedy duo wowed over 3,000 ‘cheering, stomping and chanting students’ on Friday night.

The paper branded their ‘gig’ as possibly ‘the most successful Roman Catholic youth evangelization event since Pope John Paul II last appeared at World Youth Day’.

Organizers had billed the show as ‘an opportunity to hear two Catholic celebrities discuss how joy and humor infuse their spiritual lives’.

The New York Times reports that both delivered with surprises and zingers that began the moment the two walked onstage when Colbert went to shake Cardinal Dolan’s hand but the cardinal took Mr. Colbert’s hand and kissed it in ‘a disarming role reversal for a big prelate with a big job and a big ring’.

Introduced as a potential future Pope, Cardinal Dolan remarked; “If I am elected Pope, which is probably the greatest gag all evening, I’ll be Stephen III.”

The report also says that Colbert shed his character for the evening and offered several sincere insights into how he manages to remain a faithful Catholic while making fun of his own religion and most others.

He asked: “Are there flaws in the church? Absolutely. But is there great beauty in the church? Absolutely.”

Colbert said he did not make jokes about the sacraments, or put a picture of the crucifixion on screen but he liked to poke fun at the use and misuse of religion, especially in politics.

The youngest of 11 children raised as Catholics, he added: “Then I’m not talking about Christ. I’m talking about Christ as cudgel.”

Colbert spoke of his experiences as a 10-year-old when his father and two of his brothers died in a plane crash.

He told the students that after the funeral, in the limousine on the way home, one of his sisters made another sister laugh so hard that she fell on the floor.

He admitted: “At that moment, I resolved that I wanted to be able to make someone laugh that hard.”

A teacher at a Sunday school in New Jersey, Colbert is raising his own children at Catholics.

The comedian said: “The real reason I remain a Catholic is what the church gives me, which is love.”

When Cardinal Dolan introduced Colbert’s wife Evelyn and brought her up to the stage the cardinal put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

The paper reports that when Colbert feigned offense, the cardinal brought down the house when he said: “I can kiss your wife. You can’t kiss mine.”

[Alex Murphy]

Introduced as a potential future Pope, Cardinal Dolan remarked; “If I am elected Pope, which is probably the greatest gag all evening, I’ll be Stephen III”....

....Colbert said he did not make jokes about the sacraments, or put a picture of the crucifixion on screen but he liked to poke fun at the use and misuse of religion, especially in politics. The youngest of 11 children raised as Catholics, he added: “Then I’m not talking about Christ. I’m talking about Christ as cudgel”....

....When Cardinal Dolan introduced Colbert’s wife Evelyn and brought her up to the stage the cardinal put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The paper reports that when Colbert feigned offense, the cardinal brought down the house when he said: “I can kiss your wife. You can’t kiss mine.”

[Argus]

What a couple of knuckleheads.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Fordham didn’t allow broadcast nor, I think, recording. Hmm...

[Tanniker Smith]

If Colbert did a good thing, props to him. Frankly, I’d be too worried to invite him to such an event because of prior experience. He’s a loose cannon ... or a loose keg of black powder ... either one ready to blow up in your face.

[Salvation]

Fantastic! Thanks for posting this positive Catholic article. Hey, when are you starting RCIA?

[Salvation]

Ping!

[Verginius Rufus]

Cardinal Dolan needs to brush up on his church history. There has already been a Pope Stephen III...in fact there has been a Pope Stephen IX. If he wasn't Pope Stephen X.

(A priest named Stephen was elected pope in 752 but died before he was consecrated--sometimes he is listed as Stephen II but sometimes he is excluded from the list of popes...so for all the later Pope Stephens there is a bit of uncertainty about the correct number.)

[Mad Dawg]

thanks for the post. Made me smile.

You’re going to RCIA? Wow! I wish you were in my parish. We’re going to have the BEST RCIA this year.

[sayuncledave]

Well, if Alex is starting RCIA, I humbly suggest that we begin a small prayer group on his behalf, for discernment.

[Melas]

No, he’s an entertainer who probably spends his time wondering why or how some people take his “in character” political buffoonery seriously.

[Mamzelle]

Colbert is a loathsome and despicable blasphemer.

[RichInOC]

“Gilligan!”

[IncPen]

Fordham didn’t allow broadcast nor, I think, recording. Hmm...

Fordham was all set to make a deal with CNN for recording/broadcast; Colbert nixed it.

[Tanniker Smith]

Because he stays "in character" even where not appropriate and then acts inappropriately because it's "in character". But it's okay to be offensive because he's "in character".

Fact is that this event will never be shown because he's not in character, or conversely, he's not in character because it won't be shown. In either case, that apparently freed him from the need to offend people.

[Alex Murphy]

Hey, when are you starting RCIA?

Which one of you is sending me the power drill?

[Salvation]

It’s funny for a funny thread.

I guess it wasn’t as good of a joke as Colbert and Dolan, right?

[LadyDoc]

Colbert is a loathsome and despicable blasphemer.

So was Dante. That doesn't mean he isn't a good Catholic. ;0)

[Kenny Bunk]

Ah tis sure you younger Catholics do not remember the clerical tradition of tryin' ta be foony, and the poor bastids gotta laugh or they're goin' straight ta Hell bejaysus!

Repeat after me. "Gosh Father, that was a real knee-slapper and no, I never heard it before today! Ah go 'head, take a mulligan."

[ArrogantBustard]

Power Drill???

Your reference to a 4 year old post makes almost no sense ...

Speaking for myself only, I do not want someone with an obvious interest in the Catholic Church to feel unwelcome.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Oh! I didn’t know that.