'The Cardinal and Colbert' at Fordham University.

To all those in attendance last night, I hope you all had a wonderful evening (it was definitely worth camping out for tickets), and to all of those who made the even to possible – Thank You!!

As was predicted the media embargo was broken by the few media representatives in attendance the minute Twitter fired up with #DolanColbert and #dolbert. Guests Tweeted some of the evenings best quotes, and even managed a few Twit Pics from afar. Father Martin and Cardinal Dolan have both published their opening remarks from the event on their respective sites, which you can find excerpts from below. Also included is a great write-up from ‘The New York Times’ and a pre-event interview with Father Martin by ‘The Washington Post’.

Apologies for the length of the post, life has gotten in the way and taken up all of my free time at present. If I do not have time to post any photo’s from the event you can find them re-blogged on our social media accounts – Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, tumblr and Instgram (@ColbertNewsHub) – of which the direct links can be found located on our side bar.

The comedian Stephen Colbert and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York bantered on stage Friday night before 3,000 cheering, stomping, chanting students at Fordham University, in what may have been the most successful Catholic youth evangelization event since Pope John Paul II last appeared at World Youth Day.

The evening was billed as an opportunity to hear two Catholic celebrities discuss how joy and humor infuse their spiritual lives. They both delivered, with surprises and zingers that began the moment the two walked onstage. Mr. Colbert went to shake Cardinal Dolan’s hand, but the cardinal took Mr. Colbert’s hand and kissed it — a disarming role reversal for a big prelate with a big job and a big ring.

Cardinal Dolan was introduced as a man who might one day be elected pope, to which he said, “If I am elected pope, which is probably the greatest gag all evening, I’ll be Stephen III.”

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Mr. 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.

“Are there flaws in the church?” Mr. Colbert said. “Absolutely. But is their great beauty in the church? Absolutely.”

He said he did not make jokes about the sacraments, or put a picture of the crucifixion on-screen. But he said he liked to poke fun at the use and misuse of religion, especially in politics. “Then I’m not talking about Christ,” he said. “I’m talking about Christ as cudgel.”

Mr. Colbert is the youngest of 11 children, raised by Catholics who both attended Catholic colleges. His father and two of his brothers died in a plane crash when Mr. Colbert was 10. He said 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. At that moment, Mr. Colbert said he resolved that he wanted to be able to make someone laugh that hard.

He is raising his children as Catholics, and he teaches Sunday school at his parish in New Jersey. “The real reason I remain a Catholic is what the church gives me, which is love,” he said.

Cardinal Dolan introduced Mr. Colbert’s wife, Evelyn, who was sitting in the audience, and brought her up to the stage. The cardinal put his arm around her and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and when Mr. Colbert feigned offense, the cardinal said, in a remark that brought down the house, “I can kiss your wife. You can’t kiss mine.”

Mr. Colbert used his time onstage with the cardinal to air his complaints about the new English translation of the Mass, which was just introduced in American parishes this year.

“Consubstantial!” Mr. Colbert exclaimed, using a particularly cumbersome word that is now recited in the Nicene Creed. “It’s the creed! It’s not the SAT prep.”

The audience sent in questions by Twitter and e-mail, which Father Martin pitched to the two men. Among them: “I am considering the priesthood. Would it be prudent to avoid dating?”

Cardinal Dolan responded that, on the contrary, “it’s good” to date, partly to discern whether the celibate life of a priest is what you want. Then he added, “By the way, let me give you the phone numbers of my nieces.”

Mr. Colbert said: “It’s actually a great pickup line: ‘I’m seriously considering the priesthood. You can change my mind.’ ”

Another question was even more pointed: “So many Christian leaders spread hatred, especially of homosexuals. How can you maintain your joy?”

Cardinal Dolan responded with two meandering anecdotes — one about having met this week with Muslim leaders, and another about encountering pickets outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

But Mr. Colbert’s response was quick and unequivocal. “If someone spreads hate,” he said, “then they’re not your religious leader.”

Full Article: The New York Times.

The Cardinal Meets Colbert..and Both Meet Fordham – James Martin, S.J.

If you were in the Bronx last night, that rumbling sound you heard was not an earthquake, it was the sound of 3,000 Fordham students, faculty, Jesuits and guests cheering for Timothy Cardinal Dolan, the archbishop of New York, and Stephen Colbert, the host of “The Colbert Report,” who met for a much-anticipated conversation about the place of joy and humor in the spiritual life. Fordham had invited me to moderate the discussion, called “The Cardinal and Colbert,” which I was delighted to do. Actually, “delighted” is an understatement. “Overjoyed” is better, and in this case entirely appropriate.

The event was the brainchild of two young Fordham theologians, Michael Peppard and Charles Camosy, who pitched it to me over dinner one night in early January. “What would you think to moderating a discussion on humor and faith with Stephen Colbert and Cardinal Dolan?” They hoped to tie it around some of the themes of my book Between Heaven and Mirth. “Great idea!” I said. “We want it to be an example of The New Evangelization,” they said.

Full Article: America Magazine.

Pre-Event Interview with Father James Martin

MB: Why did you decide to do this event with Dolan and Colbert?

JM: These are two public, joy-filled Catholics. Why not bring them together? It was meant to be a tool for evangelization in a sense. . . . They are my favorite theologian and my favorite comedian but sometimes I’m not sure which is which.

MB: This event is garnering huge interest among young Catholics and Catholicism-watchers. Why is it so unusual?

JM: Cardinal Dolan is the highest-ranking archbishop in the nation. To couple that level of authority with humor is rare. And you rarely have a figure in the entertainment world who is so public about his Catholicism [as Colbert is].

MB: The planning began in January. First it was a public event and then Fordham announced it would be off the record.

JM: Yes, this event has been only marginally less complicated than arranging the Second Vatican Council.

MB: Why?

JM: Making sure both would feel comfortable in the setting. The cardinal’s office wanted to make sure it was a serious discussion, not a jokefest. And Colbert’s office wanted to make sure he would be comfortable outside his onscreen persona.

I respect Cardinal Dolan for going out to where the people are and I respect Colbert for being willing to reveal his private side. Both are forms of evangelization. They are willing to go outside their comfort zones. Both are interested in the faith. Both really respect the other. And are willing to do this for the good of the church.

MB: You’ve been on the Colbert show at least a dozen times. What’s he really like?

JM: He’s very devout, you can tell he knows his stuff. There are real questions he asks under the guise of humor, under the cloak of his character. People don’t realize they’re being invited into thoughtful questions about religion in a humorous way. He does great evangelizing. . . . We were discussing the recession, and whether or not people are more open to experiencing God in times of suffering, and he asked: Why is lack of money equated with an increase of faith? That’s a great question.

Full Interview: The Washington Post.

Humor, Joy, and the Spiritual Life – Remarks from Cardinal Dolan

I sure have been looking forward to this evening. Fordham University – whose students I love and whose campus I relish visiting often – Father McShane; Father Martin; both priests I admire a lot – Thanks!

Stephen Colbert, it’s good to be with you. While I’m not able to watch you often, my nieces are certainly among your legion of fans. In fact, they told me that I should find it awesome to be with you this evening. I informed them that tonight would pale compared to being with Clint Eastwood two weeks ago at one of the two national conventions, especially when he said to me, “Cardinal, you know I played a preacher once, so I know that neck thing you wear is mighty uncomfortable.”
Stephen, part of my admiration for you is that, while you often tease and joke about your faith, and the Church, there’s no denying that you take your faith seriously, and look to the Church as your spiritual family.

In fact, when I met you last spring at a very glitzy gathering where you were the MC, the first thing you said to me was, “Cardinal Dolan, tomorrow night I’ll be with my son as he receives the sacrament of confirmation. Say a prayer for him, would you?”
That says a lot!

Full Article: Archdiocese of New York.

Tweeted Quotes from the Evening

• SC: I don’t like to make jokes about religion, but the use of religion
• SC: God has a lot on his mind, what with knowing everything
• Colbert after Dorothy Day mention gets an applause “Oh so you’re Communist Catholics”
• Dolan: I find humour to be a conciliatory vehicle; it helps build bridges
• Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God
• Good Friday didn’t have the last word, Easter did, and that’s why we can laugh
• SC: I laugh my Church, warts and all
• SC: Sometimes I feel more pressure to make jokes about the Catholic Church because I love it
• I think we can be careful that our humour never devolves into being flippant, but we can still be joyful
• We can never be flippant of our problems … but we can be joyful despite of them
• Dolan: I can kiss your wife, but you can’t kiss mine
• JM: Does Jesus have a sense of humour? SC: If Jesus doesn’t have a sense of humour, I’m in big trouble

  Dolan: I often picture Jesus laughing

• SC: on the word “accordance”: Jesus wasn’t looking at the Scriptures as if they were an IKEA magazine
• SC on pressure to be funny: Is there pressure for you guys to be Holy?
• Fordham Student: What’s your favourite beer? Dolan: Take me out and you’ll find out

  SC: I’m not a big beer dan. I like ‘Old Style’ Bourbon

• Fordham Students: There’s been more cheering at #dolancolbert than the entire 2011 football season
• Father McShane hands Colbert and Dolan a tie, Stephen removes his own and puts it on, Dolan wears his round his waist”
• SC: There are people who cannot understand how I stay Catholic a Comedian
• SC: I’m not a prophet – I’ve seen how things end for those guys – I make jokes
• SC: Did St. John on the Cross levitate? JM: Probably

  SC: All the best ones did

• SC on his Congressional Testimony: If I had of gone there and not told jokes, then I would have been to big for my boots
• Dolan: You’re s Catholic and a Comedian, Stephen, and you’re darn good at both
• SC: I remain Catholic, even though in comedy you question authority all the time
• SC: I don’t know a lot of people in comedy who go to Mass
• SC: I am 1 of 11, you applaud my mother