Hollywood actress Whoopi Goldberg has shared details of her meeting with Pope Francis last week after more than a decade of trying to arrange talks with him.

The star of Sister Act joked that she might "burst into flames" when she walked into the Vatican.
Sharing a video of her meeting on US talk show The View, she revealed what the pontiff had to say to her.

He said: “One of the best things you can do for people is to help them to have joy and to make them laugh.”

His comments came after he was presented with memorabilia from the Sister Act movies.

After receiving an image of Goldberg as her character Sister Mary Clarence, Pope Francis smiled as he pointed to her red stilettos which accompanied the traditional nun's clothing.

The actress joked that she was doing her bit to "bring the sisters into the 21st century".

Speaking to her co-hosts on the show she said the visit encouraged her not to abandon the Church and that she felt better for the visit.