Pope Francis Says Gossip Is a ‘Plague Worse Than Covid’

Debra

Dagobah Resident
I saw this on the "scrolling news banner" a couple days ago, and finally looked up the news article today, because I kept thinking about it and laughing.

So, The Dude pops out of his "Covid Hidey Hole" to give a sermon, goes off script, and gives his "Sheep" er "Flock" a stern lecture for talking about him and his band of misfits and Pedos, is what I get from reading between the lines.

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Vatican City (AP) -- Pope Francis said Sunday that gossiping is a “plague worse than COVID” that is seeking to divide the Catholic Church.

Francis strayed from his prepared text to double down on his frequent complaint about gossiping within church communities and even within the Vatican bureaucracy. Francis didn’t give specifics during his weekly blessing, but went on at some length to say the devil is the “biggest gossiper” who is seeking to divide the church with his lies.

"Gossip closes the heart of the community, closes the unity of the Church," he said.

"The greatest talker is the devil, who always goes about saying the bad things of others, because he is the liar who tries to disunite the Church, to alienate his brothers and not to make community."

“Please brothers and sisters, let’s try to not gossip," he said. “Gossip is a plague worse than COVID. Worse. Let’s make a big effort: No gossiping!”

Francis’ comments came as he elaborated on a Gospel passage about the need to correct others privately when they do something wrong. The Catholic hierarchy has long relied on this “fraternal correction” among priests and bishops to correct them when they err without airing problems in public.

Survivors of sexual abuse have said this form of private reprimand has allowed abuse to fester in the church and let both predator priests and superiors who covered up for them escape punishment.


It's not the first time Francis has made such strong remarks on gossip -- in 2016, he warned priests and nuns not to fuel the "terrorism of gossip," encouraging them to resist the temptation to spread voices and tales within their community.

"If you get an urge to say something against a brother or a sister, to drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue! Hard!" he said.

He returned to the topic in November 2018, telling pilgrims in St Peter's Square that gossip kills "because the tongue kills, like a knife," according to a statement released at the time by Vatican News, the Holy See's official press website.
 
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