The Eighth Commandment

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor"

COMPENDIUM

This Commandment forbids bearing false witness in court, and also detraction, or murmuring, calumny, flattery, rash judgments and suspicions, and every sort of falsehood.

The sin of detraction, or backbiting, consists in revealing without just reason the faults and shortcomings of others. Calumny is the malicious attribution to anyone of shortcomings of which he is innocent. Flattery is deceiving a person by speaking well of him or of others insincerely, with the object of taking some advantage of him. The sin of rash judgment, or suspicion, consists in judging or suspecting ill of others without just reason. Lastly, lying is affirming as true or false, by word or deed, something which one does not believe to be so. And these lies may be of three kinds: jocose, officious, or malicious; the first being uttered by way of a joke, and without being prejudicial to anybody; the second being made use of as being serviceable to oneself or others, without meaning or doing harm to anyone else; and the last being the affirmation of what is false to the detriment of anyone.

Is it, then, ever permissible to tell a lie? No, not even in jest, or to render service to oneself or to others, because a lie is, in itself, a bad thing. When, however, a lie is uttered in jest or from politeness, or to oblige, it is a venial sin; but when it does harm, it is a mortal sin, if the harm done be serious. It is not, however, necessary to say all that one thinks, especially if the questions asked have been put by someone who has no right to know what he is inquiring about.

When a sin has been committed against this Commandment, it is not enough to confess it, but one is bound also to retract anything calumnious which one has said against one's neighbor, and to repair, as well as one can, the harm done to him.

Finally, the Eighth Commandment bids us to speak the truth in season, and, as far as possible, to put a good interpretation of the actions of others.

CATECHISM

450. What does the Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, forbid?

The Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, forbids false testimony in a court of justice, and it also forbids detraction or backbiting, calumny, adulation, rash judgement and rash suspicion and every sort of lying.

451. What is detraction or backbiting?

Detraction or backbiting is a sin which consists in making known another's sins and defects without sufficient reason.

452. What is calumny?

Calumny is a sin which consists in maliciously attributing to another faults and defects which he did not possess.

453. What is flattery?

Flattery is a sin which consists in deceiving another by falsely praising him or others for the purpose of profiting thereby.

454. What is rash judgement or rash suspicion?

Rash judgement or rash suspicion is a sin which consists in judging or suspecting evil of others without sufficient foundation.

455. What is a lie?

A lie is a sin which consists in asserting as true or false by word or act that which one does not believe to be really the case.

456. How many kinds of lies are there?

There are three kinds: the jocose lie, the officious lie, and the malicious lie.

457. What is a jocose lie?

A jocose lie is that which is told in jest and without injury to anyone.

458. What is an officious lie?

An officious lie is a false statement to benefit oneself or another without injuring anyone else.

459. What is a malicious lie?

A malicious lie is a false statement made to the injury of another.

460. Is it ever lawful to tell a lie?

It is never lawful to tell a lie, neither in joke, nor for one's own benefit, nor for the benefit of another, because a lie is always bad in itself.

461. What kind of sin is a lie?

A lie, when jocose or officious, is a venial sin; but when malicious, it is a mortal sin if the harm done is grave.

462. Is it always necessary to say all one's mind?

It is not always necessary to say all one's mind, especially when he who questions you has no right to know what he demands.

463. Is it enough for him who has sinned against the Eighth Commandment to confess the sin?

It is not enough for him who has sinned against the Eighth Commandment to confess the sin; he is also obliged to retract whatever he said when calumniating another, and to repair as far as he can the harm he has done.

464. What does the Eighth Commandment command us to do?

The Eighth Commandment commands us to speak the truth at the proper time and place, and, as far as we can, to put a good interpretation upon the actions of our neighbor.