VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before flying to Italy's southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different audience at the Vatican on Friday celebrating the importance of humor.
The pontiff welcomed more than 100 comedians from 15 nations, including U.S. celebrities Whoopi Goldberg, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien.
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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before flying to Italy's southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different audience at the Vatican on Friday celebrating the importance of humor.
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Conan O'Brien is interviewed after an audience with Pope Francis in Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Stephen Colbert is interviewed after an audience with Pope Francis in Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Whoopi Goldberg is interviewed after an audience with Pope Francis in Clementine Hall, at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Whoopi Goldberg, centre, arrives for an audience with Pope Francis in the Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
Chris Rock, left, and Conan O'Brien arrive for an audience with Pope Francis in the Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
“In the midst of so much gloomy news, immersed as we are in many social and even personal emergencies, you have the power to spread peace and smiles,” Francis told the comedians.
“You unite people, because laughter is contagious,” he continued, asking jokingly, “Please pray for me: for, not against!”
Francis pointed out that in the creation, “Divine wisdom practiced your art for the benefit of none other than God himself, the first spectator in history,” with God delighting in the works that he had made.
“Remember this,” he added. "When you manage to bring intelligent smiles to the lips of even a single spectator, you also make God smile.”
Francis also said it was OK to “laugh at God” in the same way “we play and joke with the people we love.”
After delivering his speech, Francis greeted all the comedians individually, sharing laughs and jokes with some of them.
“It was great, it was very fast and really loving, and made me happy,” Goldberg said afterward.
O’Brien noted that the pope “spoke in Italian, so I’m not quite sure what was said.”
“To be in that room and to be with all my fellow comedians, some of whom I’ve been good friends with for many years, in that environment, was quite strange," the TV host added. "All of us were thinking, how did this happen? Why are we here, and when are they going to throw us out?”
Colbert admitted his Italian “is really bad, I would like to speak it better.” But he managed to remind the pope that he had done the audiobook for his memoir.
“It was wonderful, he’ll never forget me,” he joked.
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Whoopi Goldberg, centre, leaves after an audience with Pope Francis in Clementine Hall, at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Conan O'Brien is interviewed after an audience with Pope Francis in Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Stephen Colbert is interviewed after an audience with Pope Francis in Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Whoopi Goldberg is interviewed after an audience with Pope Francis in Clementine Hall, at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
CAPTION CORRECTS LOCATION Whoopi Goldberg, centre, arrives for an audience with Pope Francis in the Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
Chris Rock, left, and Conan O'Brien arrive for an audience with Pope Francis in the Clementine Hall at The Vatican, Friday, June 14, 2024. Pope Francis is meeting with over 100 comedians from 15 countries aiming to establish a link between the Catholic Church and comic artists. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Romania coach Edward Iordănescu felt insulted by that pre-game chatter he called “shameful” of possibly contriving a low-key draw against Slovakia to send both teams into the European Championship knockout round.
It did indeed end 1-1 on Wednesday and Romania finished atop of Group E — ahead of favored Belgium — but not in the way those pundits throwing shade had predicted.
And Iordănescu let them know about it after a high-energy game played in severe weather which had wild mood swings, and earned his team a round-of-16 meeting with the Netherlands.
“There is some people that should apologize to us,” Iordănescu said, criticizing some of the commentary earlier in the week. “They should have waited to see and then judge us. So this was shameful.
“They throw this garbage to us, not just the team but to our fans. We showed we have character,” the Romanian coach said, in the only answer in English of his news conference.
The quirk of the 24-team Euros format is that Groups E and F playing on the final day of the group stage have an advantage. They know the result they need to be assured of being among the four best third-place teams who must advance to the last-16 bracket.
At the start of play Wednesday, all four teams were on three points before Romania and Slovakia drew in Frankfurt at the same time as Belgium was held 0-0 by Ukraine, which was eliminated.
Romania topped the group on the tiebreaker of more goals scored than Belgium, and both had a better goal difference than third-place Slovakia.
“Nobody could say my team didn’t play to win for the 90 minutes,” Slovakia coach Francesco Calzona said.
Both Iordănescu and Calzona were right to feel vindicated one day after questions at pre-game news conferences about the option of a contrive a low-energy draw to get the point both needed.
Both teams went for goals despite stifling heat in the first half that ended 1-1.
They really went for more goals through sheets of rain amid booming thunderclaps midway through the second half.
The fans, especially yellow-shirted Romanians filling two thirds of the Frankfurt arena, seemed energized by soccer in the crackling electric storm.
The teams still were chasing a game-winning goal in the steady rain until stoppage time before it ended 1-1.
“Both teams gave everything for 80 minutes, then of course everybody looks for each (other’s) interest," Iordănescu said.
Slovakia’s standout player Stanislav Lobotka, a midfielder with Napoli, said he never experienced such in-game weather in his career.
“Heat and the very hard ground at the beginning and within 45 minutes the weather changed completely, with pools of water at some parts of the pitch,” Lobotka said in translated comments.
Slovakia led in the 24th minute when Ondrej Duda directed a powerful header down into the corner of the net.
Răzvan Marin leveled in the 37th from a penalty awarded after a two-minute video review to decide if Ianis Hagi was tripped inside the area.
Romania will now play in the knockout round for the first time since Euro 2000 when Hagi’s father, national soccer icon Gheorghe, was captain in the No. 10 jersey now worn by his son.
Romania’s reward is going into what shapes as the weaker half of the knockout bracket, separated until the final from in-form Spain and Portugal plus France and Germany.
Next for Romania is facing the Dutch in Munich with a five full days rest before that game on Tuesday.
Belgium plays France in a standout pairing on Monday in Duesseldorf. Slovakia will play England Sunday in Gelsenkirchen.
When the soccer anthem “Freed From Desire” played after the final whistle, both sets of fans were singing and jumping in celebration with the players.
“I think never in the history of Romania has the team had such a support, not even the golden generation (of Hagi)," said Iordănescu, whose father, Anghel, coached the national team at Euro 2016. "Romania has found its spirit that it mustn’t ever lose again.”
AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
Romania's Andrei Ratiu celebrates at the end of the match during a Group E match between Slovakia and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
CORRECTS BYLINE, LOCATION, SLUG - Romania’s Denis Dragus (19) attempts to score during a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Romania's players celebrate at the end of the match during a Group E match between Slovakia and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Romania's head coach Edward Iordanescu instructs his players during a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Rain falls during a Group E match between Slovakia and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Romania's head coach Edward Iordanescu gestures during a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Romania's George Puscas, right, and Slovakia's Milan Skriniar struggle for the ball during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Slovakia's Ondrej Duda, right, celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Romania during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)
Slovakia's Ondrej Duda heads the ball to score his team's opening goal against Romania during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Romania's players celebrate at the end of the match during a Group E match between Slovakia and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Romania's Razvan Marin (18), scores from the penalty spot, his side's first goal against Slovakia, during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Slovakia's Ondrej Duda, left, celebrates scoring the opening goal against Romania during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (Arne Dedert/dpa via AP)
Romania's Razvan Marin, front, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal against Slovakia during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Romania fans cheer during a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Romanian fans cheer before the kick-off of a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Slovakia's Juraj Kucka, front, tries a shot during a Group E match between Slovakia and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Romania's Razvan Marin, front, celebrates after scoring his side's first goal against Slovakia during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Slovakia's goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, top, saves a shot by Romania's Andrei Ratiu, bottom left, during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Romanian fans cheer during a Group E match against Slovakia at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Slovakia's coach Francesco Calzona shouts instructions to his players during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament against Romania in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
Slovakia and Romania players play during a Group E match between Slovakia and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Slovakia's Ondrej Duda, second left, scores the opening goal during a Group E match between Slovakia and Romania at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Romania's Razvan Marin (18), scores from the penalty spot, his side's first goal against Slovakia, during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Romania's Razvan Marin (18) celebrates after scoring his side's first goal against Slovakia during a Group E match at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Frankfurt, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
