Vatican City, Sep 25, 2019 / 05:30 am (CNA).- Pope Francis said Wednesday that slander is a 'diabolical cancer' that seriously damages the Church.

“We know that slander always kills. This 'diabolical cancer,' which arises from the desire to destroy a person's reputation, also attacks the rest of the ecclesial body,” Pope Francis said Sept. 25 in his general audience in St. Peter’s Square.