Pope Francis on the sins against unity – jealousy, envy and antipathy

OPINION:

One of the things that endears Pope Francis to his listeners is his ability to cut across official texts and give them a new sense of life. This is what he did at this week’s general audience. He was the quintessential Shepherd who “smells of the sheep,” to use his favourite expression in describing a good pastor.

In his Catechesis and deviating from his written text, Pope Francis took a swipe at gossip and rumour-mongering in parishes. Speaking in Italian loosely translated here, Pope Francis sounded more like a mildly irritated Parish Priest when he said, ("Quanto si chiacchiera nelle parrocchie!")  “So much gossip in parishes!” he exclaimed. “This is not good. For example, when one is elected president of an association, we talk ill against him… and if someone is elected president of (the) Catechetical (association) we speak ill against her. But this is not the Church. This should not be done, we should not do it! We must ask the Lord for the grace not to do that”.

Pope Francis is well aware that gossip and romours bring disunity to the body of Christ in parishes. That is why he spoke about “sins against unity” namely jealousy, envy and antipathy. Antipathy is described as a deep-seated dislike for something or somebody. 

In many African parishes (as elsewhere in the world) where the parish is sometimes, not only the centre for spiritual activity but also for social interaction, parishioners sometimes spend time gossiping and speaking ill of others.

Many people are familiar with the story said to have taken place in one African village when missionaries came to Africa (there are several versions of this story). According to the story, a woman went to confession and told the village priest that she had gossiped about her neighbours. As part of her penance, the priest told her to go and pluck the feathers of a chicken and bring them to him. The woman did what the priest asked her to do.

 "Now take these same feathers and scatter them to the wind in different parts of the market square. Afterwards return to me," the priest told the woman.

The woman walked  from one end of the market square to the other scattering the feathers as she was told. Then she returned. “I have scattered the feathers as you said I should.

"Well done. Now go and collect back all those feathers that you have scattered and bring them to me.” Naturally, the woman  protested at the impossible task.  "So it is with gossip,” the priest told her, “you can never undo the damage done.”

Of course, it’s not only women who gossip.  Many of us at one time or another have been on the receiving end of gossip from either men or women. No doubt many of us have also engaged in spreading gossip about other people. Pope Francis is right in reminding us that gossip is not innocent at all. It is very divisive and usually involves uncharitable conversation about others who are not present to defend themselves. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, gossip is considered a sin under the eighth commandment: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

In Pope Francis’ words, “God’s will is that we grow in our capacity to welcome one another, to forgive and to love and to resemble Jesus. This is the holiness of the Church – to recognise the image of God in one another. May we all examine our consciences and ask forgiveness for the times when we have given rise to division or misunderstanding in our communities and may our relationships mirror more beautifully and joyfully the unity of Jesus and the Father”.

(Fr. Paul Samasumo)   e-mail: [e-mail]