Whoopi Goldberg posted a touching tribute to Pope Francis, the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church, after he died Monday at age 88.
“He was the closest in a long time that seemed to remember that Christ’s love enveloped believer and [nonbeliever],” the actor wrote in an Instagram post Monday.
The “Sister Act” star said Francis was “more like Pope John the 23rd, who made belief real” and who was pope from 1958–1963.
“Sail on Pope [Francis] with your love of humanity & Laughter,” Goldberg added.
Francis was known for his relatively progressive stances on issues like LGBTQ+ rights, the environment and social justice, and he made some members of marginalized groups feel more welcome in the church.
Goldberg first met Francis at the Vatican in 2023. She later told “Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon that he seemed to be “a bit of a fan” of her 1992 film “Sister Act.”
Fallon then jokingly asked Goldberg if the religious leader had asked her for a role in “Sister Act 3.”
“No, but I offered one,” she said as the crowd laughed. “He said he’d see what his time was like.”
Photo by Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images
Last June, the EGOT-winner visited Francis again alongside more than 100 comedians, including Fallon, Chris Rock, Stephen Colbert and Conan O’Brien.
“So, we’re on our way over to see the pope,” Goldberg shared in a video posted on her Instagram Story at the time. “It is the butt crack of dawn, OK, but this is the time we’ve been told to come over. And I mean, who minds walking down these streets? Nobody. It’s beautiful.”
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