THE HOLY FATHER CONDEMNS CHATTER (GOSSIP)BY CHATTERING (GOSSIPING) HIMSELF! WHEN IS TOO MUCH INFORMATION SIMPLY TOO MUCH INFORMATION FROM THE MOST CHATTERING POPE IN HISTORY?

How to avoid gossiping? Bite your tongue, bite your tongue! Sure, It will swell, but you’ll have done a good thing. Some people who should set an example, are not doing so when they chatter.”  --Pope Francis

In a talk to Vatican Employees, the Holy Father condemns chatter, gossip, but His Holiness' entire talk is itself chatter about the Vatican clergy and their peccadilloes and things the Holy Father himself has heard from other employees at the Vatican which His Holiness shares with everyone in the whole wide world!

This is fascinating to say the least. I once heard that preachers, be they Catholic or Protestant condemn in others what they themselves are the most guilty of doing. 

Pubblicato il 21/12/2017

IACOPO SCARAMUZZI

VATICAN CITY

No more illegal or precarious work in the Vatican, “We cannot preach the social doctrine of the Church and then do things that do not correspond” to it. Pope Francis said this in his speech to the employees of the Holy See and of the Vatican City State whom, along with their family members, Francis wanted to meet in the “Paul VI hall” for the traditionally Christmas greetings, after his speech to the Roman Curia in the apostolic palace. Jorge Mario Bergoglio dwelt on the need to “foster” work, family, and above all children, and our tongue by avoiding the “terrorism of chatter”. And then he asked “forgiveness” because “we - I mean the clerical fauna”, not always “set a good example: I too sometimes lose patience”.  

I would like to thank you all for the work you do here. Everyone has their job, that they know, we have working teams in the Vatican...” the Pope began, ” This work is what runs this train, the Vatican, the Holy See, which seems so heavy, so great, with so many problems... and thanks to your work we go forward: I am aware that without your work we wouldn’t go forward. Earlier, I greeted a man who has been working here for 43 years: thank you; I thank each one of you for your work. But - the Pope continued - there is also a problem in the Vatican concerning labor: a lady, referring to a young man among you, said “help the precarious workers”. The other day I had a meeting with Cardinal (Reinhard) Marx, President of the Council for Economic Affairs, and its secretary, Monsignor (Brian) Ferm, where I said: “I do not want illegal work in the Vatican”. I apologize to you - continued Francis – there is still some here”. Citing Article 11 of the regulation of the workers of the Apostolic See relating to probationary period contracts, the Pope said it should be applied indeed “for a probationary period, for one or two years, not more”.  

“I also said - the Pope continued - that no one should be left without work: do not dismiss anyone unless there is another job available outside, another suitability or agreement convenient to that person. This is how we ought to work here, so that there are no precarious job and no precarious workers. It is a problem of conscience for me: we cannot preach the social doctrine of the Church and then do things that do not match,” he said to loud applause. “Understandably, a person needs to be tried for a certain time, for a year, two years yes, but never illegally: this is my intention. You may help: help your superiors, those who depend on the Governorate, to solve these problems in the Holy See “.  

Broadening the discourse, the Pope then said, “labor is your path towards sanctity, towards happiness that you need to carry on: today, perhaps the ugliest curse is not having a job: you might know so many people... because work gives us dignity and, the security of a job gives us dignity. I do not want to say the names, but it’s in the newspapers today - he continued in what seems to be an implicit reference to the Ilva of Taranto (the largest steel mill in Europe) - two important companies here in Italy that are at risk, but in order to survive it is not necessary to “rationalize” work and dismiss three or four thousand people. This is bad, very bad, because there is a loss of dignity. And this is not only a problem of the Vatican, of Italy or of Europe, it is a global problem, it is a problem that depends on many factors in the world. Keep a job and keep your dignity, bring the bread home because you have gained it, not because you receive it from the Caritas. So thank you for your work, help the superiors to end illegal work situations, and keep your job because it is your dignity. Keep your job and do it well, that is important!”.  

Francis then spoke of a second word “that comes to my mind: family. I - he said - would like to tell you that when I find out that a family of yours is struggling, that the children are suffering because they see that there are problems, I sincerely suffer. Let yourself be helped. In the governorate, I wanted the secretary to be a bishop so he could have this pastoral dimension: to save families. I know that there are some separated ones among you, I know, and I suffer, I suffer with you - Francis said - life has come like this, but help, so at least children do not suffer, because when parents quarrel the children suffer. It is a piece of advice that I give you, never argue in front of the children, they do not understand. “To foster the family” the Pope said, recalling that, in addition to the secretary of the Governorate, there are the chaplains,” who will tell you where you can get help for your family. This is the great jewel, God has created us a family, the image of God is a marriage between a man and a woman, fruitful: multiply yourself, make children, go forward. And he added - I was so happy to see so many, so many children.” 

“The third word that comes to my mind”, the Pope continued “perhaps some of you may say “but give it a rest with this”... it is a recurring word: the chatter” he said, stirring applause. “Maybe I’m wrong, and there is no chatter in the Vatican, you don’t chat, perhaps, I don’t know.... I was told by one of you, a worker, that one day I had preached about gossip and he, who had come to mass with his wife, said “if you don’t gossip in the Vatican, you remain isolated”. “Heavy stuff, right? You have heard what I say about gossip: gossip is a terrorist, gossipers act like terrorists, throw the bomb, leave, then the bomb explodes and damages many others. No to the terrorism of gossip, please. This is the third word that comes to me, someone might ask me a piece of advice: how to avoid gossiping? Bite your tongue, bite your tongue! Sure, It will swell, but you’ll have done a good thing. Some people who should set an example, are not doing so when they chatter.”  

Finally, fourth keyword of the speech, “I would like to ask you for forgiveness. Because we too do not always set a good example. When I say we, I’m referring to the “clerical fauna”, we do not always set a good example”, the Pope said, stirring more applause. In life, we clerics, make mistakes, injustices, we sin, and sometimes we treat people badly, we are a little neurotic: forgive us for all these bad examples. We must ask for forgiveness, I too, because sometimes “I fly my sparrows” (Argentina colloquial expression to say, “I lose patience”)”! Francis concluded his unscripted speech to the Vatican employees inviting them to “not be afraid to ask for forgiveness: if your conscience reproaches you something, then look for a good confessor, do a nice cleaning. They say that the best confessor is the deaf priest, he doesn’t make you feel ashamed.... but without being deaf, there are so many merciful ones, so go ahead, Christmas is a good opportunity to make peace even within us, we are all sinners. Yesterday I made my Christmas confession, the confessor came and did me well. I wish you merry Christmas, joy, that which comes from within, and let me not forget to send a blessing to the sick who are perhaps in your family, who are suffering. Thank you very much: let us foster labor, foster the family, foster the tongue - and please forgive us, and let us clean up our hearts this Christmas so we may be in peace and happiness. And don’t forget to pray for me.  

Before and after the speech, the Pope greeted Vatican employees and their relatives with handshakes, hugs, greetings, as well as taking some selfie and high-fiving some children.