*"False witness and perjury. When it is made publicly, a statement contrary to the truth takes on a particular gravity. In court it becomes false witness. When under oath, it is perjury. Acts such as these contribute to condemnation or the innocent, exoneration of the guilty, or the increased punishment of the accused. They gravely compromise the exercise of justice and fairness of judicial decisions.

Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.
He becomes guilty:

• of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
• of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses anothers faults and failings to persons who did not know them.
• of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

Detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one's neighbor. Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the Honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Thus, detraction and calumny offend against the virtues of justice and charity.

Lying is the most direct offense against the Truth. To lie is to speak or act against the Truth in order to lead someone into error. By injuring man's(your) relation to Truth and to his neighbor, a lie offends against the fundamental relation of man (your) relation and his word to the Lord."

*"Since it violates the virtue of truthfulness, a lie does real violence to another. It affects his ability to know, which is a condition of every judgment and decision. It contains the seed of discord and all consequent evils. Lying is destructive of society; it undermines trust among men and tears apart the fabric of social relations.

The gravity of a lie is measured against the nature of the Truth it deforms, the circumstance, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims.

The culpability is greater when the intention of deceiving entails the risk of deadly consequences for those who are lead astray."

*"Every offense committed against justice and Truth entails the duty of reparation, even if its author** has been forgiven. When it is impossible publicly to make reparation for a wrong, it must be made secretly. If someone who has suffered harm cannot be directly compensated, he must be given moral satisfaction in the name of charity. This duty of reparation also concerns offenses against another's reputation. This reparation, moral and sometimes material, must be evaluated in terms of the extent of the damage inflicted."

• *"The right to the communication of the Truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the Truth to someone who asks for it.
• Charity and respect for the Truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the Truth to someone who does not have the right to know it.
• Professional secrets - for example, those of political office holders, soldiers, physicians, and lawyers - or confidential information given under seal of secrecy must be kept, save in exceptional cases where keeping the secret is bound to cause a very grave harm to the one who confided it, to the one who received it or to a third party, and where the very grave harm can be avoided only by divulging the Truth. Even if not confided under the seal of secrecy, private information prejudicial to another is not to be divulged without a grave and proportionate reason.
• Everyone should observe an appropriate reserve concerning persons' private lives. Those in charge of communications should maintain a fair balance between the requirements of the common good and respect for individual rights. Interference by the media in the private lives of persons engaged in political or public activity is to be condemned to the extent that it infringes upon their privacy and freedom.