Reggaeton star J Balvin met with Pope Francis and took goofy selfies with the Catholic leader when taking part in the Vitae Summit 2022 at the Vatican.
Taking to his Instagram page, the artist shared photos of him making funny faces with the 85-year-old pope, which is a rare sight for those familiar with the Catholic leader.
A photographer at the event also captured the impromptu photo shoot, during which the 37-year-old singer sat comfortably next to the pope before he proceeded to whip out his phone and documented the divine interaction.
Balvin, dressed in a sleek black suit, leaned into Pope Francis, who opted for his usual all-white papal regalia. Both of them flashed smiles to the camera as the singer flashed a V sign.
Following the impromptu photo shoot, Balvin shook the Argentine native’s hand.
In the caption of his Instagram post, he wrote: “Few of us take selfies smiling and another Flow Latino Gang with Pope Francis. Always in HIGH VIBE, LOVE AND TOLERANCE. P.S. At the end a video so that they understand the vibe.”
Balvin joined other artists, such as Mexico’s Eduardo Verastegui and Alexander Acha, in the September 1 meeting convened by the Vitae Foundation, which aims to study “how the arts, media and entertainment can be used to promote unity, hope and the encounter between people globally.”
Following the meeting, Balvin spoke to a small group of media members where he bragged about his encounter with the Pope. He said he is “sure [the Pope] likes Reggaeton.”
He continued: “If he likes soccer, he likes Reggaeton.”
“I was talking to him and we had a very good connection, I’m going to give him an album so he can have it,” the ‘Mi Gente’ hitmaker claimed amid some laughter.
He went on to say about the Pope, saying that he is “a totally different Pope than the previous ones. For me, this is the ‘coolest’ Pope.”
Balvin praised the way Pope Francis talks to young people as “so real.”
He further added: “He is ‘cool’ because he shows himself as he is, with this position of so much responsibility and privilege he acts as if he is the same person who came out of his neighbourhood and this is what everyone says. He’s genuine, he doesn’t pretend to change his essence because he’s the Pope.”
