Section 1. On Damaging in Spiritual Goods

464. Obligation of restoring. In this place a fitting occasion offers itself also to treat of the obligation of restoring because of damage inflicted in spiritual goods. Spiritual goods are understood not only as supernatural goods, which conduce to the eternal salvation of the soul, but also natural goods such as sciences and arts, the use of reason and of free will. To supernatural goods also pertains the good of the priestly and religious state.

Assertions. 1. He who by an unjust means (fraud, lie, force, fear instilled) inflicts spiritual damage on another, or impedes another from obtaining a spiritual good, is bound to repair the damage inflicted if it can be repaired in the same order: for anyone has a right to demand that evil not be inflicted on him by an unjust means.

a. Therefore he who induced another to sin by fraud or instilled fear is bound from justice to call him back if he cannot of himself return to the former state. But if of himself he can do this and does not do it, the damager is bound to nothing: for since the damaged person voluntarily perseveres in evil, by this very fact he is considered to remit the injury to the damager.

b. He who by fraud induced another into practical error, from which another evil can follow, for example, that reputation unjustly taken away from the neighbor need not be restored, is bound to recall the error and compensate the damages arising from it and foreseen in some way.

c. He who by fraud induced another into speculative error, for example, that there is no purgatory, generally does not commit a grave injury unless the error concerns the principal dogmas of faith, or unless the errors are many and of great moment.

d. He who by poison or other illicit means deprives another of the use of reason, memory, or free will, injures justice, but is not bound to restitution because of this spiritual damage itself inflicted, because it cannot be repaired in the same order; yet he is bound to repair temporal damage, if any was suffered by him who was deprived of the use of reason. The same must be said if someone by force, fear, or fraud turns another away from the study of letters or arts, or does not permit him to use the science or art acquired.

2. He who without an unjust means inflicts spiritual damage on another, or impedes him from obtaining a spiritual good, is bound not from justice but only from charity to repair the damage inflicted, if he can: for where no injury is inflicted, no obligation of restitution is had.

He who by evil example or persuasion induces another to sin is bound to call him back only from charity, not from justice.¹

¹ Cf. on this matter Lugo, disp. 9, n. 1 ss.; Elbel-Bierbaum, Theologia moralis II, pr. 6, n. 180-205.