Last week on September 8, Stephen Colbert made his debut on “The Late Show” and began the night by making the sign of the cross. For Deacon Greg Kandra, the gesture set the tone for the night, and maybe for the entire future of the show:
With Colbert, I think we may be seeing something altogether fresh and original: a passionate and outspoken Catholic voice in the mainstream media, with an unparalleled platform. This guy talks about his faith so easily and eloquently, sometimes quite movingly. I’m not sure network television has seen anything like this since the heyday of Fulton Sheen. That’s not to say Colbert is the new Sheen—but he’s certainly given a surprising new sheen to the New Evangelization. It’s going to be fascinating to see where he takes this.
In a Patheos post about Colbert’s debut, Kandra notes that for the first time, the three major hosts of late night comedy—Fallon, Kimmel and Colbert—are all Catholic. But Colbert, as Kandra points out, is the one inclined to “wear his faith on his sleeve.”
To anyone paying attention, Colbert has long made it clear that his Catholic faith is a central part of his identity. And the guy is no light-weight.
Fr. Thomas Rosica of Salt and Light, recently sat down with Colbert to have a heart to heart about faith, life and the new, “born again” Colbert, post-The Colbert Report. The two discussed joy, the role of laughter, and the relationship between reason and humor.
The comedian also told Rosica what he would ask Pope Francis if he were to score an interview with the pontiff: “How does love lead to joy?” would be among his questions, as well as how does one who rises to the calling of pope still remain a “fool for Christ?”
Rosica’s full-length interview with Colbert can be viewed here.
Zoe Romanowsky is Lifestyle Editor and Video Content Producer for Aleteia
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