While Mark Wahlberg established very clear boundaries with Seth MacFarlane regarding making jokes about religion in "Ted," there actually is one instance from outside of the films when the popular movie star made a "Ted"-related joke to Pope Francis of all people. Suffice to say, it went over rather poorly.
As reported on by Vanity Fair, during an onstage appearance at Philadelphia's World Meeting of Families event in 2015, Wahlberg said that he had just learned that a 14-year-old opera singer who performed for the venue was a fan of "Ted." "I told him that was not appropriate for his age. Holy Father, please forgive me," the actor joked in reference to the Pope, who was in attendance. He continued: "I've always hoped that the good Lord has a sense of humor, when it comes and pertains to many of the movies that I've made."
Wahlberg's joke garnered laughs from the event's audience, but Pope Francis didn't appear to find the stunt very amusing. In an interview with Adweek a few months after the incident, Wahlberg addressed the incident, noting that the Pope probably didn't have the necessary context for the joke. "He's not one to watch television or go to the movies, so I don't think he knew who I was," he explained. "It's nice to meet somebody who doesn't want to ask you a bunch of questions. He was probably annoyed by me, but it was an honor."
