During his South American tour stop in Lima on Sunday, the leader of the Roman Catholic church likened gossiping nuns to terrorists.

As he spoke to 500 cloistered nuns at the historic Church of the Nazarenas, he asked, “Do you know what a nun who gossips is?”

“A terrorist,” he answered. “Because gossip is like a bomb. One throws it, it causes destruction and one calmly walks away.”

This received some laughter from the crowd but Pope Francis continued to stress his point with a straight face.

He said:  “No terrorist sisters! The best remedy is to bite your tongue. Don’t gossip in the convent because that will inspire the devil.”

The Pontiff added that gossiping nuns were worse “than the terrorists of Ayacucho.” This also got some laughter from the locals.

ALSO READ: Gossiping is one of Pastor Lazarus Mouka's deadly sins

Reactions to Pope Francis’ gossiping comment

The Pontiff’s statement may have got the locals to laugh but not everyone found it funny.

Huffington Post reports that a newspaper editor has criticised the statement, adding that sex abuse by Catholic priests is more like terrorism than gossip.

[No available link text]

This statement comes after the Pope’s constant defense of  Bishop Juan Barros who has been accused of protecting notorious pedophile priest Fernando Karadima.