Gossip

Merriam-Webster's "word" of the year for 2022 and 2023 were Gaslighting and Authentic, respectively. Two words that could not be any further apart in their meaning but separately bound together when it comes to how colleagues, friends and family interact. For 2024, another word of the year is Polarization. Again, this word of the year seems connected with the prior two years award winners.

On Saturday, Pope Francis weighed in on another topic of the top word winners that I am very familiar at work - Gossip. I have seen how gossip energizes some people in keeping tabs on everyone and spreading tales about them to maintain their lead on their scorecard of life. These are very sad people.

According to the 纽约时报 , Pope Francis' Christmas message to his top advisors was "Don't Gossip". Articles: (NYT) In Christmas message, Pope Francis criticizes gossip among Vatican staff (CBS) Pope Francis’ Christmas Message to His Top Advisers: Don’t Gossip

“Gossip is an evil that destroys social life, sickens people’s hearts and leads to nothing"

Gossiping Nuns are Terrorists

To say Pope Francis has a position on gossip, would be an understatement. He has touched upon this topic in the past.

To be sure, Saturday’s message was far tamer than the one in 2014, when he criticized the Curia for what he called a narcissistic “pathology of power” and “existential schizophrenia.” Warning against a lust for power, hypocritical double lives and a lack of spiritual empathy among some men of God.

He also hit this topic in a major Vatican document in 2018 by stating that those who spread gossip "are really the enemies of peace,” and on his travels he has regularly warned priests and nuns to refrain from doing it. To make a finer point on this ...

“Do you know what a gossiping nun is like? She is a terrorist,” he told a group of contemplative nuns during a 2018 trip to Peru. “Because gossip is like a bomb. The terrorist, just like the devil, goes in whispering and murmuring, throws the bomb, destroys and calmly walks off. No to terrorist nuns, no to gossip.”

Gossip is Trending

Pope Francis may be onto something here in regards to gossip. The image from Google trends depicts that interest in the word "gossip" is at the high end of five-year range.

Have you had this experience?

I think we all have seen this kind of person that Pope Francis describes in an office setting - a combination of Regina George (Mean Girls) and Lady Whistledown (Bridgeton).

I have witnessed ...
-A 1-percenter who has a character of a 99-percenter.                                                                         -Large bank account but morally bankrupt.                                                                             -Indulgences do not put these individuals on higher morale ground who gossip.         

Let's be better in this Christmas season and going into 2025.

Jen Fraser, PhD Dr. Jason Price Toxic Tearoom Catching_Bees VENT No Mobbing at Work - Association against Mobbing and Workplace Bullying Workplace Bullying Institute National Workplace Bullying Coalition Speak Out Revolution Stop Hurt at Work Changing Work Elephant In The Room Marchell N.