Case 3. Scandal and Co-operation

Agatha and Lucy, the former a Catholic, the latter an Anglican of the church called High, were joined to one another by the bond of friendship. They often helped each other in works of charity; indeed, not rarely Lucy brought help to Agatha in works of religion, and in particular acted the part of a saleswoman in selling smaller goods of every kind (took a stall at a bazaar), so that the Catholic church might be built more splendidly. A little later, the Anglican church which Lucy frequented was to be restored by employing the same means, and Agatha was asked by her friend that she herself should perform the similar part of saleswoman for the Anglican church. Not knowing how to refuse, Agatha assented; indeed, she herself contributed some things to be sold as a testimony of a grateful spirit toward Lucy. The Catholics, however, were not a little scandalized, and accordingly Agatha afterward relieved her troubled conscience to her confessor. It is asked:

1. When is someone obliged to avoid the scandal of others?

2. When is cooperation in another’s sin lawful?

3. What is to be said of the case?

1. When is one obliged to avoid giving scandal to others ?

We must of course avoid giving scandal to others by doing anything wrong ourselves which will lead them into sin. We are also obliged to omit any action which is indifferent or good but not of precept by which scandal would be given to the weak or ignorant, if we can do so without serious inconvenience. We may not omit in this case an action which is prescribed by natural law; whether we are bound to omit what is prescribed by positive law is a disputed question among theologians. We are not bound to avoid pharisaic scandal by omitting an action which is good or indifferent and which has no appearance of evil.

2. When is co-operation in another’s sin lawful?

Formal co-operation in another's sin is never lawful; material co-operation is lawful provided that the action by which co-operation is given is good or at least indifferent, and provided that there is a good and proportionate reason for the co-operation (see p. 152).

3. The case. Agatha, a Catholic, and Lucy, an Anglican of the High Church party, were friends. They often helped each other in works of charity, and Lucy often helped Agatha in what she did for religion, taking a stall when a bazaar was held to raise funds for making an addition to the Catholic church of the place. When the Anglican church was to be restored, Lucy asked Agatha to take a stall for her, and Agatha not only consented but gave some objects to be sold at the bazaar as a mark of her gratitude. At this Catholics were scandalized, and so Agatha told what she had done when she went to confession.

There was no harm in the two friends working together in deeds of charity, and Lucy’s help could be accepted in the Catholic bazaar. But Agatha should have shown her gratitude to her friend in some other way than by taking a stall and giving things to be sold at the Anglican bazaar held for the restoration of the Anglican church. For this is a religious object, and a Catholic is not at liberty to help and show favor to a non-Catholic religious object. It naturally gave scandal to other Catholics. Agatha, therefore, was guilty of material wrong-doing as she seems to have acted in good faith, and she should avoid such actions in future, as a general rule. There might be exceptional circumstances which might excuse a Catholic who contributed to the restoration of an Anglican church because it was an ancient historical monument, if it could be done without scandal. In the case we suppose no such special circumstances to exist.