During his weekly address in St. Peter's Square, Pope Francis, the leader of the Catholic church encouraged Catholics and the faithful around the world to "offer silence and prayer" instead of spreading gossip, Sunday.
The Vatican sovereign dubbed gossiping as a plague worse than the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that has invaded and crippled the whole world. The Pope went off-script and complained about how the practice of gossiping can be used as a weapon to divide the Roman Catholic Church.
In his statement, the pope pleaded the followers of the church to make an effort to stop gossip. He also stated that gossiping is an activity of the devil since it is him who always says bad things through his lies in an attempt to split the church.
This is not the first time that the pontiff has talked against gossiping. In fact, he has regularly issued caution on the negative effects of gossip along with his opinion against trolls on the internet.
According to Mirror, the 83-year-old pope stated that in times that someone makes a mistake, people should stay silent and offer a prayer for their brother or sister who had done wrong but should never gossip about it.
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COVID-19 Toppled Pillars of Economy Ruled by the Rich
On the other hand, the pope also talked about the pandemic last Friday. He stated that the pandemic has tested and toppled over the "shaky pillars" of the world's economy which was built on the domination of the powerful and rich, and the idolatry of money.
Moreover, he spoke to those who participated in the annual European House-Ambrosetti Workshop, asking them to build new economic models which would reduce the inequality in the society and is more inclusive. The workshop was graced by around 200 top economists, managers, and politicians across the globe.
In addition, in a plea to reduce wasteful consumption and save the environment, the urged the participants to start "an ecological retooling."
Pope Francis also stated that the pandemic has tipped the scale which puts money and power on top of anything else in the world. He stated that it has crippled the support of a certain model of development which was made to favor the rich and powerful. He also added that the pandemic has opened the eyes of the people to the inequalities of society.
On top of this, the pope emphasized that economics should serve as the expression of a society that does not sacrifice the dignity of humanity to the idols of finance. One that uses money and finance to serve rather than to dominate.
The pontiff also stressed that once a vaccine is developed, it should not be hoarded by rich countries but should be distributed fairly.
In a report by The Guardian, it stated that Pope Francis is believed to be in the midst of preparing the highest form of papal writing - an encyclical letter, on the kind of the post-pandemic world that he believes, should exist after all this.
The said event that the pope has graced is usually held every September in Cernobbio, however, due to the pandemic this year, most of it was done virtually.
