Are white lies sinful?

[Razanir]

I keep hearing different responses to this question, so I figured I’d ask it here. Is lying always sinful? The two cases I want to know about specifically are:

1. Parents telling their kids that Santa and the Easter Bunny are real
2. You’re hiding Jews in Nazi Germany and the Gestapo comes by, so you tell them you aren’t hiding any Jews to protect them

 

[Devon_Caffran]

The following links should assist you in better understanding the Catholic Church’s teaching on lying. If you have any further questions or concerns that are not answered by these links, please [contact Catholic Answers (http://www.catholic.com/home/contact.asp) directly.

Recommended Reading:

• At what point does lying become a mortal sin?
• ** Is it always a sin to lie?**
• ** Are little white lies a sin?**
• ** Is it okay to lie under certain circumstances?**
• ** Can I lie to keep family peace?**
• ** Can I lie to my mother who has Alzheimer’s Disease?**
• ** Is it okay to lie in order to prevent an abortion?**