[De veritate dicenda aut tacenda]

or truth, then according to Thomas in the Secunda Secundae, q. 70, art. 1, it must be distinguished. For if testimony is required to free a man, either from an unjust death or from any punishment whatsoever, or from infamy, or from unjust harm, then a man is bound to testify. And even if testimony is not required, he is bound to do what is in him so that he may denounce the truth to someone who could profit from this, for it is said in the Psalm: "Rescue the poor and the needy from the hand" (Psalm 80/81:4), and in Proverbs 24: "Deliver those who are led to death." And Romans 1: "They are worthy of death not only those who do them, but also those who consent to those who do them," where a gloss says: "To consent is to be silent when you can rebuke." Regarding those things, however, which pertain to the condemnation of anyone, no one is bound to bear witness unless when he is compelled by a superior according to the order of law, if infamy has preceded, and in manifest matters, not in secret ones, as was said. Because if the truth is hidden regarding these matters, no special harm comes to anyone from this, or if danger threatens the accuser, there is no need to worry about this, because he specially inserts himself into this. It is another matter, however, to whom danger is imminent against his will. This is Thomas. Therefore, the virtue of charity is to be observed in the testimony of truth, which ought always to be more prone to absolving and to freeing than to condemning, unless he is compelled through the path of law by a superior, or a sentence of condemnation has already been laid down by a judge according to the laws, or harm is imminent to the commonwealth, whether spiritual or temporal, or someone voluntarily inserts himself into danger. In those cases, and those which are similar, a man is not bound to remove harm from a private person. This addition is made if he believes probably that the pronunciation of his truth might harm someone and profit no one, or even if it might harm no one, yet it would profit no one; then, indeed, it seems the truth should rather be suppressed by silence, although in many things to hide the truth, as Augustine