Much like Pope Francis, the great love Stephen Colbert has for the Catholic Church does not preclude a thoughtful, creative examination of Catholic tradition.

In his latest interview with Salt and Light, Colbert shared a powerful story about the important influence of female priests.

Calling it “one of the times when I felt the Eucharist was most real to me,” Colbert described the personal and theological significance of an Anglican female priest presiding over the Eucharist:

“When I heard a woman say ‘This is my body,’ the freshness of hearing a woman say that gave the message a universality that it always should have — and I’m not saying it doesn’t coming out of a male priest — but it opened my ears to the possibility that it is also my body. That in my participation in the Eucharist, I participate in the gift that Christ gives me …”

After elaborating on the experience, Colbert slowly turned to the camera to address the audience, and offered a bit of self-commentary.

In a characteristic tone of his — dripping with both seriousness and snark — he said, “And now I invite everyone to attack me for suggesting that women should be priests.”

We don’t invite you to do that.

WATCH the clip here.