Pointed papal warnings against nuns’ ‘vinegar faces,’ women’s gossip
January 06, 2025
» Continue to this story on Vatican Press Office
CWN Editor's Note: Pope Francis received members of the Union “St. Catherine of Siena” of School Missionaries on January 4 and delivered an address devoted to the themes of holiness, preparation, and friendliness.
In the course of the address, the Pope delivered several pointed warnings.
“Many times in my life I have encountered nuns with a vinegar face, and this is not friendly, this is not something that helps to attract people,” the Pope said. “Vinegar is ugly, and nuns with a vinegar face, let’s not say!”
“Speaking well and friendliness are necessary, and there is a great enemy of this, which is gossip,” the Pope continued. “Please, distance yourself from gossip. Gossip kills, gossip poisons. Please, no gossip among you, none. And to ask this of a woman is heroic, but come on, let’s go forward, and no gossip.”
“Please, converse with everyone, apart from the devil,” Pope Francis added. “The devil comes into communities, look, jealousy all these things that are of everyone, not just women, everyone, and the devil goes there. You do not converse with the devil. Do you understand? You do not converse with the devil.”
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