The View cohost and actress Whoopi Goldberg has been the face of the church-inspired Sister Act film franchise since 1992, but she just made her dream of meeting Pope Francis a reality. Explaining her recent absence from the talk show, she shared that the surreal gathering—which she says has taken 11 years to coordinate—recently took place on the hallowed grounds of the Vatican in Rome.
Goldberg, who said she attended Catholic school growing up, admires the religious leader’s inclusivity: “He was quite amazing,” Goldberg said on a recent episode of The View. “He's exactly what I hoped he would be, which is a pope for all people, regardless of religion, which I really appreciated. And I wanted to thank him for all of my gay friends and for all of my divorced friends, because he basically has said, ‘Listen, God loves you, no matter what. Come back to the church.’ I appreciated that.”
Watch Whoopi meet the pope
The TV personality shared more about the (not even) once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, adding that there was even a nod to Sister Act. “You don’t always get to meet and say stuff to people, and I just, you know, I thought, Okay, I’m gonna walk into this building and I’m going to burst into flames,” Goldberg said on The View. “But as it turns out, I did not. And I brought him some stuff from Sister Act that he asked for.”
While she’s still processing this milestone, she clearly feels a sense of relief. “I don’t know what any of it means, but I know that I feel better because I feel like somebody up there likes me. That’s the best way I can put it,” Goldberg said.
Check out the full segment below to hear the inspirational message that Pope Francis shared with her during their humorous exchange, and what her current relationship with the church looks like now.
Goldberg previously teased her trip on Instagram with a message straight from Vatican City, which Sister Act 3-hopefuls were bound to love: “St. Peter’s Square. And maybe, since you’re seeing everything, you’re figuring out what I’m doing here. But picture Sister Act and all the nuns standing here, waiting for the pope to come out. Maybe that’s gonna happen in the new movie; you don’t know. You never know. But we are in Rome, and I am in Vatican City. What could I be doing? Why could I be here?” she said, before eventually spilling the news about meeting the religious leader.
Jane Burnett is an Assistant Editor at Oprah Daily, where she writes a variety of lifestyle content for the editorial team. She's a journalist with a pop culture sweet tooth—when she isn't catching up on celebrity news, she's usually listening to a podcast! Jane was previously an on-air reporter in local news, and worked at Thrive Global, Ladders News, and Reuters. She also interned at CNBC through the Emma Bowen Foundation, and is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ).
