Article III. On Impure Gazes

I say 1st. Base gazes had without sufficient cause are gravely or lightly sinful according to the danger of venereal pleasure; because this is the whole reason why they are prohibited by the law of nature. But to know the proximity of the danger, one must attend to the diverse circumstances, namely to the parts which are looked at; to the sex, age, and other natural qualities of the person looked at; to the dispositions, whether natural or acquired, of the person looking; to the distance and the manner in which the gaze occurs, etc. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, nn. 421 and following.

I say 2nd. Gravely sinful gazes, with the case of desire excluded, do not induce the malice of the circumstances of the person who is looked at. The reason is that circumstances of this kind do not influence the act, since sight does not touch the object immediately as touch does, and no one says that we violate a sacred person by sight. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, ibid.

You Will Resolve. - 1st. Certainly it is mortal to look at the act of copulation among human beings, not likewise among brute animals, at least of itself and ordinarily speaking, although great danger can be present, and the greater as the animals themselves are larger. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 419.

2nd. It is also mortal to look at the private parts of a person of diverse sex, or parts near them, unless perhaps the sight occurs from a distance and for a very brief time. Nor are you excused from grave fault if you look at base parts covered with a very thin and transparent veil, because such a gaze generally increases lust, far from diminishing it. Yet except 1st. if the one looking is a child, or very old, or very cold; 2nd. if the eyes are fixed on a little infant. Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 421.

3rd. But it is venial of itself to look at the genitals of the same sex; but not if the one looking were very prone to sodomy, or were affected with great ardor toward the person whom he looks at in particular. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 420.

4th. It is also venial of itself to look at the less modest parts of a woman, namely arms, legs, and breast, with the case excluded in which the gaze is repeated and lingering. Indeed perhaps he who looks at the naked breasts of a beautiful woman with notable lingering and without cause will never be excused from mortal sin. Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 423.

5th. Gazes upon obscene pictures from mere curiosity are not held as mortal. Yet in practice a man looking at the genitals of a painted woman could scarcely be excused from mortal sin, because he will with difficulty be able to guard against base pleasure, unless perhaps it is done for a very brief time or at a great distance, or unless the age of the picture has diminished the force of the art. - Cf. St. Alphonsus, n. 424.