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<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Fraternal Correction</title><script src="https://dtyry4ejybx0.cloudfront.net/js/cmp/cleanmediacmp.js?ver=0104" async="true"></script><script defer data-domain="newadvent.org" src="https://plausible.io/js/script.js"></script><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04394a.htm"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <meta name="description" content="The admonishing of one's neighbor by a private individual with the purpose of reforming him or, if possible, preventing his sinful indulgence"> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS" href="http://feeds.newadvent.org/bestoftheweb?format=xml"><link rel="icon" href="../images/icon1.ico" type="image/x-icon"><link rel="shortcut icon" href="../images/icon1.ico" type="image/x-icon"><meta name="robots" content="noodp"><link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="../utility/screen6.css" media="screen"></head> <body class="cathen" id="04394a.htm">  <br/> <div id="capitalcity"><table summary="Logo" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width="100%"><tr valign="bottom"><td align="left"><a href="../"><img height=36 width=153 border="0" alt="New Advent" src="../images/logo.gif"></a></td><td align="right"> <form id="searchbox_000299817191393086628:ifmbhlr-8x0" action="../utility/search.htm">  <input type="hidden" name="safe" value="active"> <input type="hidden" name="cx" value="000299817191393086628:ifmbhlr-8x0"/> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:9"/>  <label for="searchQuery" id="searchQueryLabel">Search:</label> <input id="searchQuery" name="q" type="text" size="25" aria-labelledby="searchQueryLabel"/>  <label for="submitButton" id="submitButtonLabel" class="visually-hidden">Submit Search</label> <input id="submitButton" type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" aria-labelledby="submitButtonLabel"/> </form> <table summary="Spacer" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td height="2"></td></tr></table> <table summary="Tabs" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../"> Home </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_white_on_color" href="../cathen/index.html"> Encyclopedia </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../summa/index.html"> Summa </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../fathers/index.html"> Fathers </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../bible/gen001.htm"> Bible </a></td> <td class="tab"><a class="tab_color_on_beige" href="../library/index.html"> Library </a></td> </tr></table> </td> </tr></table><table summary="Alphabetical index" width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td class="bar_white_on_color"> <a href="../cathen/a.htm"> A </a><a href="../cathen/b.htm"> B </a><a href="../cathen/c.htm"> C </a><a href="../cathen/d.htm"> D </a><a href="../cathen/e.htm"> E </a><a href="../cathen/f.htm"> F </a><a href="../cathen/g.htm"> G </a><a href="../cathen/h.htm"> H </a><a href="../cathen/i.htm"> I </a><a href="../cathen/j.htm"> J </a><a href="../cathen/k.htm"> K </a><a href="../cathen/l.htm"> L </a><a href="../cathen/m.htm"> M </a><a href="../cathen/n.htm"> N </a><a href="../cathen/o.htm"> O </a><a href="../cathen/p.htm"> P </a><a href="../cathen/q.htm"> Q </a><a href="../cathen/r.htm"> R </a><a href="../cathen/s.htm"> S </a><a href="../cathen/t.htm"> T </a><a href="../cathen/u.htm"> U </a><a href="../cathen/v.htm"> V </a><a href="../cathen/w.htm"> W </a><a href="../cathen/x.htm"> X </a><a href="../cathen/y.htm"> Y </a><a href="../cathen/z.htm"> Z </a> </td></tr></table></div> <div id="mobilecity" style="text-align: center; "><a href="../"><img height=24 width=102 border="0" alt="New Advent" src="../images/logo.gif"></a></div>  <div id="mi5"><span class="breadcrumbs"><a href="../">Home</a> > <a href="../cathen">Catholic Encyclopedia</a> > <a href="../cathen/c.htm">C</a> > Fraternal Correction</span></div> <div id="springfield2"> <div class='catholicadnet-728x90' id='cathen-728x90-top' style='display: flex; height: 100px; align-items: center; justify-content: center; '></div> <h1>Fraternal Correction</h1> <p><em><a href="https://gumroad.com/l/na2"><strong>Please help support the mission of New Advent</strong> and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more  all for only $19.99...</a></em></p> <p><em>Fraternal correction</em> is here taken to mean the admonishing of one's neighbor by a private individual with the purpose of reforming him or, if possible, preventing his <a href="../cathen/14004b.htm">sinful</a> indulgence. This is clearly distinguishable from an official disciplining, whose mouthpiece is a judge or other like superior, whose object is the punishment of one found to be guilty, and whose motive is not so directly the individual advantage of the offender as the furtherance of the common good. That there is, upon occasion and with due regard to circumstances, an <a href="../cathen/11189a.htm">obligation</a> to administer fraternal correction there can be no <a href="../cathen/05141a.htm">doubt</a>. This is a conclusion not only deducible from the <a href="../cathen/09076a.htm">natural law</a> binding us to <a href="../cathen/09397a.htm">love</a> and to assist one another, but also explicitly contained in positive precept such as the inculcation of Christ: "If thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother" (<a href="../bible/mat018.htm#vrs15">Matthew 18:15</a>). Given a sufficiently grave condition of spiritual distress calling for succour in this way, this commandment may exact fulfilment under pain of mortal <a href="../cathen/14004b.htm">sin</a>. This is reckoned to be so only when</p> <div class="bulletlist"><ul><li>the delinquency to be corrected or prevented is a grievous one;</li><li>there is no good reason to believe that the sinner will adequately provide for himself;</li><li>there is a well-founded expectation that the admonition will be heeded;</li><li>there is no one else just as well fitted for this work of <a href="../cathen/03592a.htm">Christian charity</a> and likely to undertake it;</li><li>there is no special trouble or disadvantage accruing to the reformer as a result of his <a href="../cathen/15753a.htm">zeal</a>.</li></ul></div> <div class="CMtag_300x250" style="display: flex; height: 300px; align-items: center; justify-content: center; "></div> <p>Practically, however, <a href="../cathen/07762a.htm">individuals</a> without any official capacity are seldom impeachable as having seriously transgressed the <a href="../cathen/09053a.htm">law</a> in this matter because it is but rarely one finds the coalition of circumstances just enumerated.</p> <p>Of course the reproof is to be administered privately, i.e. directly to the delinquent and not in the presence of others. This is plainly the method appointed by <a href="../cathen/08374c.htm">Christ</a> in the words just cited and only as a remedy for obduracy is any other contemplated by Him. Still there are occasions upon which one might lawfully proceed in a different way. For instance</p> <div class="bulletlist"><ul><li>when the offence is a public one;</li><li>when it makes for the prejudice of a third party or perhaps even the entire community;</li><li>when it can only be condignly dealt with by the authority of a superior paternally exercised;</li><li>when a public rebuke is <a href="../cathen/10733a.htm">necessary</a> to preclude <a href="../cathen/13506d.htm">scandal</a>: witness the withstanding of Peter by Paul mentioned in the Epistle to the Galatians (2:11-14);</li><li>when the offender has already in advance relinquished whatever right he possessed to have his good name safeguarded, as is the custom in some religious bodies.</li></ul></div> <p>The <a href="../cathen/11189a.htm">obligation</a> of fraternal correction, so far as private <a href="../cathen/11726a.htm">persons</a> go, does not obtain, generally speaking, for the case of one who violates a law through invincible <a href="../cathen/07648a.htm">ignorance</a>. The obvious reason is that there is then no formal sin. Superiors to be sure can claim no such immunity for it is their <a href="../cathen/05215a.htm">duty</a> to instruct their subordinates. Every one, however, whether having an official competency or not, is bound to give the admonition when the <a href="../cathen/14004b.htm">sin</a>, committed though it be from <a href="../cathen/07648a.htm">ignorance</a>, is hurtful to the offender or a third party or is the occasion of <a href="../cathen/13506d.htm">scandal</a>.</p> <div class="pub"><h2>About this page</h2><p id="apa"><strong>APA citation.</strong> <span id="apaauthor">Delany, J.</span> <span id="apayear">(1908).</span> <span id="apaarticle">Fraternal Correction.</span> In <span id="apawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="apapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company.</span> <span id="apaurl">http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04394a.htm</span></p><p id="mla"><strong>MLA citation.</strong> <span id="mlaauthor">Delany, Joseph.</span> <span id="mlaarticle">"Fraternal Correction."</span> <span id="mlawork">The Catholic Encyclopedia.</span> <span id="mlavolume">Vol. 4.</span> <span id="mlapublisher">New York: Robert Appleton Company,</span> <span id="mlayear">1908.</span> <span id="mlaurl"><http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04394a.htm>.</span></p><p id="transcription"> <span id="transcriber"></span> <span id="dedication"></span></p><p id="approbation"><strong>Ecclesiastical approbation.</strong> <span id="nihil"><em>Nihil Obstat.</em> Remy Lafort, Censor.</span> <span id="imprimatur"><em>Imprimatur.</em> +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.</span></p><p id="contactus"><strong>Contact information.</strong> The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster <em>at</em> newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.</p></div> <div class='catholicadnet-728x90' id='cathen-728x90-verybottom' style='display: flex; height: 100px; align-items: center; justify-content: center; '></div> </div> <div id="ogdenville"><table summary="Bottom bar" width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td class="bar_white_on_color"><center><strong>Copyright © 2023 by <a href="../utility/contactus.htm">New Advent LLC</a>. 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