Dear James:

Gossip is talking about other people that usally includes rash judgment, calumny, and/or detraction.

The defintiions of these terms are in the Catechism:

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. He becomes guilty:

- of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;

- of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;²⁷⁹

- of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:

Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.

2479 Detraction and calumny destroy the reputation and honor of one's neighbor. Honor is the social witness given to human dignity, and everyone enjoys a natural right to the honor of his name and reputation and to respect. Thus, detraction and calumny offend against the virtues of justice and charity.

Rash Judgment is essentially "jumping to conclusions". For example, if I see the pastor coming our of a porno shop and I presume that he is there as a customer, I have committed the grave sin of rash judgment. Perhaps he was in the shop to witness to the owner; or perhaps someone collapsed and he was bringing them last rites. I do not know is the point and it is sinful to presume the worse. If I tell others about that, I am also gossiping.

Detraction is telling others something true about someone, but telling others for malicious reasons or to people who do not need to know the information. Using the example above about the pastor, I am also committing the grave sin of detraction when I tell others because while it is true that I saw the pastor come out of the porno shop this not something I need to tell others about.

Actually, if we see a person whom we believe is sinning, we are to go to them personally and privately. Telling others who do not need to know is the sin of Detraction and Gossip.

Calumny is telling a lie about someone. Sometimes people sitting around gossiping will make things up so as to contribute to the gossip.

Most gossip is rash judgment and detraaction, or idle talk.

The definition of gossip in the Catholic Dictionary states:

Idle talk, especially about others. The morality of gossip is determined by the degree to which time is wasted in useless conversation, by the failure in justice or charity committed against others, and by the damage done to people's reputation by those who gossip.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary