Pope Francis says 'to gossip is to kill,' compares it to form of 'terrorism'

close

Video

Pope Francis calls for change amid sex abuse scandals

On the last stop of a four-day visit to the Baltic States, Pope Francis tells crowd of young people that the Catholic Church must be 'converted'; Lauren Green reports.

Pope Francis implored his faithful followers on Wednesday to refrain from gossiping, as he believes it's a form of "terrorism" and "to gossip is to kill."

"Gossipers are terrorists because with their tongues they drop a bomb and then leave, and the bomb they drop destroys reputations everywhere," Francis said during his weekly general audience.

POPE FRANCIS COMPARES 'FAKE NEWS' TO SERPENT IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

The pope explored one of the Ten Commandments: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."

The commandment "forbids misrepresenting the truth in our relations with others."

POPE FRANCIS SAYS CHURCH NEEDS TO 'CHANGE' AS SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDALS DRIVING PEOPLE AWAY

"We all live by communicating, and we are continuously on the edge between truth and lies," Francis said. He added that gossip "kills because the tongue kills like a knife."

Francis frequently rails against gossip in the church and has urged the media, in particular, to guard against "fake news" and to seek the truth.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.