From National Catholic Register:
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. The Pope warned that slander seriously damages the Church when “there is a coalition to smear someone” due to “petty interests or to cover up their own inadequacies.” The Catholic Church teaches that the sins of slander, or calumny, involve remarks contrary to the truth that harm the reputation of others and give occasion for false judgments concerning them.