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Stephen Colbert and Cardinal Timothy Dolan as tag team comedians

Unlikely comedy duo bring the house down with Church humor

PATRICK COUNIHAN,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Sunday, September 16, 2012, 7:33 AM

Updated Sunday, September 16, 2012, 7:33 AM

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Stephen Colbert and Cardinal Timothy Dolan

Photo by WireImage/Getty Images

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.”

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eiriamach | Sep 18, 2012, 03:12 PM EDT

celticfour, women who have had abortions do not "shout it from the rooftop" because abortion is a private family or personal matter, not a choice for either legislators or churchmen to interfere in or control. And just as important, there are men planning to criminalize women who seek abortion. Any woman who has ever had either a spontaneous or elective abortion would be well advised, in such a political climate, to keep it to herself! So do not take women's reticence on this issue to suggest that women consider it shameful. I've known more women who experienced guilt over not having aborted an unplanned pregnancy than women who regretted an abortion, because, as I say, it's a heavy moral choice, and sometimes women choose, or are pressured into choosing, wrongly. But to coerce or manipulate women in such a matter-- to usurp the realm of family privacy-- ALWAYS violates natural law and dehumanizes women. You've been so lulled into a romantic view of pregnancy and childbirth that the dimension of moral responsibility for reproduction, so apparent to women, is invisible to you. As in other important life choices, some women will choose morally, some immorally, but to deprive any woman of freedom to make that choice is by far the greater immorality.

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eiriamach | Sep 18, 2012, 10:36 AM EDT

This is the USA, Gearoid4, where Cardinal Dolan's rejection of equal treatment of gays under the law MEANS that he refuses to recognize their equal worth. Splitting your judgment-- "hate the sin but not the sinner"-- is self-delusion at its most Catholic! Dolan well knows, as we all do, that lobbying against equal civil rights for gays breeds hatred for them, yet he does not back off in the face of bullying (8 times the rate for any other group) and hate crimes against gays and suicides by gay teens. How can anyone believe at this point that such a Church is following the guidance of the Holy Spirit or has divine protection? As for "verbal gymnastics," you call it "pro-life" when clerics condemn a pregnant 9-year-old victim of rape to death rather than allowing doctors to save the life of this CHILD by evacuating her uterus. It would be laughable "verbal gymnastics" if it were not so plainly evil. "Euphemisms"?? How about "pro-life" to "describe" the situation in which you fantasize depriving women of their humanity by depriving them of moral choice in childbearing. "Killing the soul" it's called in cases of pedophilia, and for women, having no soul, no free will, by male decree.

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Gearoid4 | Sep 17, 2012, 03:57 PM EDT

"Anti-choice" and "pro-choice" are symptomatic of the corrupt verbal gymnastics indulged in by people, to cover up the reality of the positions which they adopt. Abortion is not a menu where there are innumerable choices. More often than not, it is resorted to by women, because of the failure of contraception or the inconvenience of having a child. The terrible act of abortion is covered up by euphemisms. The Catholic Church stands four-square for the right to life of both mother and child. The Church also stands resolutely for the dignity and respect of those who are prone to same-sex attraction and preaches against any hurt or insult shown towards them. Because Catholicism supports the well-understood definition of marriage, it is a grave distortion to infer any diminution of the worth and integrity of gay people in the eyes of the Church.

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eiriamach | Sep 17, 2012, 08:35 AM EDT

celticfour, your campaign is an immoral and inhumane one. My church respects the moral autonomy of women, and of homosexuals as well. The day that my church engaged in political anti-choice or anti-contraception or anti-gay lobbying as Cardinal Dolan and the Catholic bishops are doing, would be the day that I'd leave my church because it would have violated human dignity. That day it would show itself to be NOT a church of Christ's people, but a "Christian" church in name only-- a church like yours, which infantalizes women and treats gays with contempt! I don't expect that day ever to arrive. Why? Because among many committed to social justice in my church are, for example, some who volunteer at a hostel for homosexual teens whose "Christian" parents have kicked them out. These church members bring caring and support from my church to those teens, who, without them, might be living on the streets, drawn into prostitution to get money for food, or committing suicide in reaction to hate speech fueled by politicking churchmen like Dolan. Instead, the teens see that there are Christians who respect the human dignity and moral autonomy of all God's people. I pray that you learn that respect some day and back off your unholy campaign against women's moral autonomy.

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Lynchy | Sep 16, 2012, 11:05 PM EDT

from an atheist. if we respond with the same criticisms of the church and it´s members every time they appear in an article we are playing the same game as when the churches and members were above criticism. I am personally furious about the actions of members of the church, but I have to balance that fury with experience of church members that have improved the lives of people around the world, including mine. I am not seeking balance, that would be stupid, simply to point out that the way forward is to not give excessive respect to people because of the job title they hold. If clergy and bankers and politicians were held to account for their actions we might get better from them. It seems to be our nature to give status to people for no sensible reason beyond their influence and wealth. It would be better to constantly question status and ensure people can not protect their status by hiding behind an institution.

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The Commentator | Sep 16, 2012, 11:05 PM EDT

To PhlutiePhan, Perhaps if you or a son or daughter had been molested by Dolan or one of his buddies, you would feel differently. It sounds like you condone the rape of children. As for getting through to Dolan, I guess you would kill the mothers of the the children raped to protect him. I certainly hope your mother is not of the same mind as you. That would be very sad. You are a poor misguided soul.

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eiriamach | Sep 16, 2012, 06:33 PM EDT

Isn't it disgusting to read the comments and realize how many small men want to control women? Would it make them feel like "big" men, I wonder?

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irishpjk | Sep 16, 2012, 05:49 PM EDT

wtf Isn’t it sad when you read the comments and realize how many small people want to tear down a great man?

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eiriamach | Sep 16, 2012, 05:24 PM EDT

Listen less to your bishops, celticfour, and listen to women for a change! Women have already spoken on this issue, and the Supreme Court has already identified abortion as a matter of privacy, between a woman and her conscience. It would be no improvement to have churches posting offensive signs that declare women slaughterers who are incapable of making conscientious decisions on life and death matters-- as most of us, women and men, will have to do in our lifetimes. As long as there are pregnancies that CANNOT be brought "to a healthy conclusion" (there are many that threaten the lives of the women and girls as young as age 9 who are pregnant, and many with fetuses that are doomed only to suffer and die after birth), abortion must remain a safe, legal option for pregnant females. Instead of your "pregnant women must be manipulated" campaign, why don't you launch an anti-rape and anti-incest campaign? Such work might help reduce the 32,000 abortions per year sought by rape and incest victims. Instead of your anti-choice campaign, why not launch a pro-contraception campaign? That would reduce the atrocious number of unplanned pregnancies in the USA, many of which end in abortion. But no, you think only in terms of women as unthinking, immoral slaughterers. So Offensive! Better to let us handle the issue at the polls! Dolan will get the message from women voters, as many times as necessary.

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irismonkey48 | Sep 16, 2012, 12:45 PM EDT

I think its time to move forward with the catholic church. I dont think they will make the mistakes of the past. Those were done by man. The Church itself rises above that. Its like he said "Are there flaws in the church, absolutely, but is there great beauty in the church,absolutely."

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KatieMurphy | Sep 16, 2012, 11:45 AM EDT

I have to wonder how many kids committed suicide tks to Dolan and his gang...........the anti gay campaign of the church is, brdifrd Dogma, also another attempt to deflect attention from vile crimes hidden by the hierarchy.......... I've met a couple people who admit they were molested.When asked why they didnt join the lawsuits they both said they didnt want to relive the horror in a public courtroom SNAP says that 100,000 kids in the USA were molested - time frame not specified. This kind of thing has happened in virtually every nation where the church has a presence.........And some people think that SNAP is actually a creature of the catholic church to minimize the numbers - I have no info on that one.............So much for priestly celibacy. It all dates back to about 1000AD so the church could inherit the priests property.........On would think the hierarchy the would have known that money is the root of all evil........... Jesus sure did - he upset the tables of the money lenders at the temple gates - the money lenders Bush let wreck much of the worlds economy.............BTW a FBI neighbor told me that at least 100 families - the father was so depressed he killed not only himself but his family. chalk up another 500 or so dead people to Bush and his protect life Goebbeling. I cant find any data on the number of single suicides but a late uncle told me he saw people jumping out of buildings during the great depression. and where I live in MD at least two committed suicide their life long biz of home imprvoement went bankrupt.................. Too bad we cant put the people who did what they did that prob killed thousands or more by induced suicide in the slammer.

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jimmybb | Sep 16, 2012, 11:41 AM EDT

future pope i hope

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PhlutiePhan | Sep 16, 2012, 11:37 AM EDT

@The Commentator: As a Catholic Navy veteran with many trips to New York, I stand in line behind the good Cardinal. As someone who has been to the last five St. Paddy's Days Parades, I also stand in line behind the Fighting 69th through whom you will have to go to get to T. Dolan. Ooh-Rah!

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The Commentator | Sep 16, 2012, 11:22 AM EDT

I am surprised that anyone would want to be associated with Dolan, the pedophile protector. He should be excommunicated, tarred and feathered, and turned over to the parents of the abused children for punishment.

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handsome68 | Sep 16, 2012, 10:08 AM EDT

It will be interesting to see how amusing is the Cardinal at the upcoming Al Smith Dinner. No doubt with President Obama present it will a rollicking evening of fun for both pro-lifers and pro-choicers.

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