ABSTRACT
During Pope Francis’s 2015 official visit to the US, two cute-inflected events would help shape media coverage of his trip to the city of Philadelphia. At the World Meeting of Families, a conservative religious gathering at which the head of the Catholic church was guest of honor, the actor Mark Wahlberg delivered a faux-apology to the pontiff for his role in the movie Ted (2012). Wahlberg, described as a devout Catholic in much media coverage of the event, explained that 14-year-old opera singer Bobby Hill, who had just performed a solo, had complimented him on the crude R-rated comedy. Turning to Pope Francis, Wahlberg stated, “He whispered in my ear that he liked the movie Ted. I told him that was not appropriate for his age. Holy Father, please forgive me.” The reference to the irreverent comedy that features a foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed teddy bear come-to-life seemed to go down well with the audience judging by its laughter, although the pontiff himself seemed a little nonplussed by the actor’s words.
