Pope Francis preached Sunday on the dangers of criticizing others rather than correcting one’s own defects, insisting that “words start wars.”
“It is the same to destroy another person with your tongue or with an atomic bomb. It is the same, you destroy,” the pope told the faithful during a visit to Saint Crispin’s parish in Viterbo. “And the tongue has the power to destroy like an atomic bomb. It is very powerful.
“Listen to this, I’m not exaggerating: words start wars,” Francis continued. “Speaking ill of others, you start a war. A step towards war and destruction.”