Conservative comedian Rob Schneider converted to Catholicism in 2023, announcing in an October 31 post on X that he had decided to look to God and start forgiving. He said, “Lastly, as I am a new convert to Catholicism, I offer my apology for my lack of Christ’s forgiveness to my fellow man. I was so angry at the people who shut down schools and indeed the world and who coerced others to do things against their will which hurt many people deeply. I offer my unconditional forgiveness and amnesty.”
Then, after celebrating his first Christmas as a Catholic, Schneider spoke to Our Sunday Visitor, a newspaper from Arizona, about what drew him to Catholicism. “I think the reason the Catholic Church works for me is it’s closest to the actual words of Jesus Christ,” he said.
Continuing, he spoke about listening to a speech from Father Chad Ripperger, whom he called “an amazing priest.” Schneider said, “We got to hear him speak for two hours and it was really powerful.” He continued, “At the same time, it was ‘prepare yourself and be vigilant, but not fearful.’” He added, “His message at the end was, ‘Jesus already won. This is just a mop up mission’ — and I love that. I think it’s true.”
During the interview, Schneider also spoke about whether the Shroud of Turin was real, saying, “It’s real. People try to dismiss it as a medieval relic, but it’s impossible. They can’t say how — what was done — and how it was done in a (photo) negative.” He added, “If it was a medieval thing, someone would’ve had to think 500 years later there would be this invention of the photograph to get that negative to a positive.”
He also spoke about the Poor Clare nuns who worked after a fire in the 16th century to repair the famous shroud, saying, “If you can imagine the dedication of the French nuns who were repairing the cloth of their Lord; how they would make it perfect.”
Returning to the shourd being the real deal and what he thinks it shows, Schneider said, “Everything described in the Bible, including there were blood samples that they found on the cloth, everything in there is from exactly what the sacrifice of Jesus Christ — and what the cloth really is, is a receipt. The receipt of what Christ paid for all of us, the greatest gift ever to mankind.”
He added that the truth of the shroud helped call him to Catholicism and Christ, saying, “There’s only so many times in life where you can look at something that’s irrefutable and go, ‘I’m going to ignore that.’” He added, “I think I just want to be open to the truth and wherever it can bring you.” He then said, “Whatever God’s calling is for me, I would be honored, and it would be the only gift that I could possibly give back besides raising my kids in the faith.”
Featured image credit: By Super Festivals – https://www.flickr.com/photos/superfestivals/48480559301, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86365697