Gossips are 'Christian murderers,' Pope says
September 13, 2013
“There is no such thing as innocent gossip,” Pope Francis said in his sermon at a morning Mass on September 13.
The Pope used strong language to denounce “that hateful attitude toward one’s neighbor when one becomes a ‘judge’ of his brother.” He reminded the congregation that Jesus used even stronger language, saying that anyone who hates his neighbor is a murderer. Thus, the Pontiff said, “every time we judge our brothers in our hearts – or worse still when we speak ill of them with others, we are Christian murderers.”
If someone’s shortcomings seem to justify negative comments, the Pope suggested an alternative approach: “Go and pray for him! Go and do penance for her!”
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