His Holiness Pope Francis on Sunday morning highlighted the destructive power of gossip while addressing cloistered nuns at Las Nazarenas Church in downtown Lima.
"Do you know what a gossipy nun is? She is a
terrorist, worse than the
ones in Ayacucho [region] years ago. Worse because gossip is like a bomb and, like the devil, she throws the bomb, destroys, and calmly walks away," the Holy Father condemned.
In this sense, he advised the
sisters of contemplative life to remember Ayacucho terrorists as a way to avert temptation whenever they feel like indulging in gossip.
Likewise, the Bishop of Rome assured their cloistered life neither closes nor shrinks the heart, but rather makes it larger.
"Poor is the nun with a shrunken heart; please seek remedy. One cannot be a contemplative nun with a shrunken heart. [If so, one must] breathe again and make it big," Pope Francis pointed out.
In his usual jovial manner, the Head of the Catholic Church even teased the nuns a bit.
"Seeing you here, I get the sense that you took the opportunity of the visit to get some air," he added jokingly.
Lastly, the Holy Father underlined the fact of visiting Las Nazarenas Church, Shrine of the
Lord of Miracles, since He is "the beacon guiding us and lighting our way."
As is known, Pope Francis arrived in Peru last Thursday for a 4-day visit to the Inca country.
(END) ART/RRC/MVB