ARTICLE II: ON IMMODEST LOOKS

489. Principles. - I. Base looks, which are had without a sufficient cause, are gravely or lightly sinful according to the intention of the one looking, the degree of baseness, and the danger of venereal consent. - Concerning this it must be noted: 1° More easily is he excused from grave guilt who looks at himself than he who looks at others; because one's own things move less. - 2° By an equal reason, a look at a person of the same sex is more easily excused than one of different sex.

II. Any looks whatever, although honorable in themselves, but had from an evil intention, are also mortal sins. This is clear of itself. Yet the quality of the person basely looked at, suppose if she is consecrated to God, married, etc., is not to be explained in Confession unless there was at the same time an evil desire; because of itself a quality of this sort is not the object of the sinful vision. Thus St. Doctor against the Salmanticenses.¹

490. You will resolve.² - 1° "To look at human copula without doubt is lethal; but of brutes" (larger ones) "very dangerous; hence it is to be permitted to no one, except only to those upon whom it is incumbent to join animals for generation, and provided the danger of consenting to base things is absent in them."³

2° "To look at the shameful parts of a person of different sex is with difficulty ever excused" (and never, I believe, in a painter, because no necessity of painting is present here) "from mortal sin, unless perhaps the look is done from a place very far away, and so in passing that no danger of delectation is present." And St. Alphonsus thinks this is to be held against the Salmanticenses, even if danger of movement were absent by reason of puerile or senile age or frigid complexion; because at least the danger of concupiscence would be present. Except if the eyes are fixed on a tiny infant, because it moves little; unless this is done morosely or repeatedly with evil affection.⁴

3° To look at the pudenda of the same sex from curiosity or levity, as happens among those swimming, or sometimes among the impubescent, is not mortal. - Otherwise if there is present libidinous affection, or special danger of lust, as if the one looking is very prone to sodomy, or a beautiful adolescent is looked at naked morosely and with delectation.⁵ Hence those are to be gravely reprehended who, with shameful parts uncovered, swim together; likewise boys and girls uncovering their shameful parts to one another, even if in passing and from levity; for this, if it is not mortal, without doubt conduces to mortal sin.

4° To look at one's own shameful parts is mortal "if it is done studiously and morosely, without necessity; otherwise, if briefly."⁶

5° "To look at the less honorable parts of a person of different sex, but not base ones, namely arms, legs, or chest, is not always of itself mortal; but if the look is deliberate and lasting, or if the one looking is prone to venery, he will be excused from mortal sin with greatest difficulty. - And I think the same," says St. Doctor, "of him who morosely looks at the face of a beautiful woman, at least if he loves her with an inordinate affection."¹

6° To look at obscene pictures (or lascivious statues) from mere curiosity, authors say, is not mortal, if danger of base delectation is absent; but "a man morosely looking at the naked female pudenda depicted, or covered with a light veil, I do not know," St. Doctor continues, "how he can be excused from mortal sin."²