Pope Francis said gossip is worse than COVID-19. He said the devil is the "biggest gossiper," who divides communities with his lies. He spoke about the dangers of gossip, saying: "Let's try to not gossip. Gossip is a plague worse than COVID. Let's make a big effort. No gossiping." The Pope says gossiping is dangerous on social media. He tells people not to listen to Internet trolls. He said: "If something goes wrong, offer...prayer...but never gossip."
The Pope made his first speech since the pandemic started. It is not the first time he talked about gossip. In 2016, he warned people not to "fuel the terrorism of gossip". He said: "If you get an urge...to drop a gossip bomb, bite your tongue." Two years later he talked about gossip again. He said gossip is deadly "because the tongue kills, like a knife". A visitor to the Vatican agreed. She said gossips were just "scandalmongers and busybodies".