ON LYING.
[To THE EDITOR OP THE " SPECTATOR.1 SIR,—Referring to a treatise on lying written by a French casuist severely and very properly condemned
in your columns on June 13th, I take leave to enclose a copy of the Catholic Catechism used in Ireland by order of "the National Synod of Maynooth, and approved by the Cardinal, the Archbishops, and the Bishops of Ireland for general use throughout the Irish Church." On p. 37 you will find the following questions and answers, viz. :—(1) " What
is forbidden by the Eighth Commandment? " Ana. " The Eighth Commandment forbids all false testimonies, rash judgments, and lies" (Matt. vii. 1). (2) "Is it lawful to tell an innocent or jocose lie, or to tell a lie for a good purpose ? Ans. "No lie can be lawful or innocent, and no motive, how- ever good, can excuse a lie, because a lie is always sinful and bad in itself " (John viii. 44). You were quite right in stating that the opinions of the French writer alluded to are not held by thousands of Roman Catholics. Trusting to your well-known fairness, I solicit the insertion of the foregoing quotations in your paper.—I am, Sir, &c., A CONSTANT READER.
[We are delighted to publish our correspondent's letter, with its confirmation of the view we expressed that the teach- ings of the French treatise, though published by authority, would be condemned by the majority of British Roman Catholics. Nothing could be more manly and straightforward than the passage in the Maynooth Catechism quoted by our correspondent.—ED. Spectator.]
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