On Lying

“A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.” These are the words of St. Augustine, quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Everyone is familiar with lying, on the receiving and giving ends. It is endemic to our fallen state. But what qualifies as lying? Must we always give the full truth to everyone we meet? The Church offers several useful definitions and explanations to guide our conscience on matters of lies and the truth.

First, what makes lying wrong? The Church calls lying, “the most direct offense against the truth… a profanation of speech, whereas the purpose of speech is to communicate known truth to others.” By lying to someone, you are depriving them of the truth and inserting error in its place. A lie, therefore, does real damage to your neighbor by leading them astray.

By its nature, lying is a venial sin. However, depending on, “the nature of the truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims,” it can become a mortal sin in grave matters.

Because lying is an offense against the truth, the Church stipulates that it bears with it a, “duty of reparation,” on the part of the liar, even after being forgiven. This reparation should be evaluated in a proportional manner.

What does all of this mean for what we are obligated to tell one another? The Church teaches that there is not an unconditional right to hear the truth. For example, the Church teaches that detraction is a sin. Detraction is an sin where you disclose something that is true but potentially embarrassing about someone you know without a valid reason. Even though the statement is not a lie, it is wrong to say it because it unnecessarily damages another person’s reputation. The Church encourages a balance between respect for privacy with a concern for the common good. If telling the truth about someone’s actions, for example a crime, will serve the common good, then it is right to do it, but, to the extent that revealing someone’s personal information infringes on their privacy, the Church condemns such actions. This fact, that not all people are entitled to know every truth, has led some to claim that the definition of lying must be augmented to be considered, “speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving,” to someone with the right to know. This, however, confuses the difference between lying and not divulging information. It is true that there are times when a person does not have the right to know something. In these cases, it is just and right to withhold such information from them. However, this has nothing to do with lying, but rather with not speaking. If instead of refusing to provide someone with information, you lied to them, this would still be wrong. You would still be leading your neighbor into error. Although the augmented definition of lying might fit conveniently with what we want to believe, the Church holds that lying is always wrong.