Pope asks nuns not to gossip or make “sour faces”

Pope Francis criticized a group of nuns from the Society of Saint Catherine of Siena for the disgruntled expression on their faces and urged them to be more welcoming and avoid gossip.

The Times writes about this.

The pontiff said nuns were showing the world "sour faces" and that women would need "heroic" efforts to stop spreading "poisonous gossip".

"Sometimes in my life I have met nuns with a ʼvinegarʼ face, and it looks unfriendly. That is not what helps attract people [to religion]. Vinegar is disgusting, and nuns with a vinegar face — I will not even talk about it," the Pope said.

So the pontiff called on the nuns to be "heralds of hospitality" and to adopt "a way of life that is friendly and loving toward all."

• The Pope has previously been criticized for his "conservative views" on the role of women. He said the Catholic Church defines a womanʼs role as "daughter, sister and mother," a view that a Catholic university in Belgium disagreed with.
• And in June 2024, the Pope was accused of homophobic remarks. Then he repeated an offensive homophobic word during a closed meeting with priests. It is frociaggine, which is figuratively translated as “faggot.” In May, the Pope was also accused of using the homophobic word frociaggine at a closed meeting with Italian bishops. He used this word to describe a “problem” that exists in some seminaries. The pontiff later apologized for his tactless words.

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