Individuals Drawn to Upcoming Events - Comedian Mittermeier gifts Pope a pink German soccer team jersey.
Right before the start of the European Championship, Pope Francis was presented with a German football team's jersey by comedian Michael Mittermeier during an encounter. Mittermeier (58) explained to the German Press Agency later on, "We figured we ought to give him a gift. That's how the idea came about. Plus, I wanted to ask him if that was really God's hand with Maradona in '86, but I held back. He laughed, so I was content."
Mittermeier is among the comedians who had an audience with the Pope in the Vatican, accompanied by his wife. Post-Francis' speech, Mittermeier presented the jersey and chatted for a bit. Mittermeier shared with the German Press Agency, "The idea had been for us to present him with a gift. In the end, this was how it went. I'd also wanted to inquire about God's hand with Maradona back in '86, but I backed off. It was enough to see him laugh."
Mittermeier was seated in the second row of the amazing Vatican hall, adjacent to celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Rock.
Pope Francis (87), a football admirer, expressed his gratitude to Mittermeier for the jersey. Like with all presents presented at these gatherings, it was taken away by an assistant. The crowd also comprised American celebrity comedians such as Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Conan O'Brien. Germans Annette Frier, Meltem Kaptan, Till Reiners, and Torsten Sträter were invited too.
Mittermeier described his encounter as "emotional" and mentioned asking the Pope to bless his four deceased children. Mittermeier and his wife had four pregnant losses, as he had disclosed for the first time previously. Expressing his level of religiosity, he added, "The Pope extended his hand. As someone who's not particularly religious, there's definitely some kind of energy there."
