Is listening to someone gossip a mortal sin?

[Britters]

I’m having a bit of trouble trying to figure out if I committed a mortal sin by listening to someone gossip.

Here’s what happened: I was talking on the phone with a family member and she proceeded to tell me something which I perceived to be gossip. After hearing what she had to say, I did not ask her any questions about it or try to get any more information out of her about it, I pretty much just left it alone. Would this be a mortal sin because I didn’t stop her from telling me about this bit of information? I’m also scrupulous, so I’m sure that adds to the fact that I can’t decipher where this falls on the sin spectrum.

Thanks for the help!

 

[Barbkw]

It’s difficult with family to tell them to stop these behaviors. I’ve learned that silence is golden on these issues.

When you don’t respond in return, it levels out the conversation and these people are aware then that gossip doesn’t get a rise out of you.

Eventually, they stop targeting you for conversation about what they’ve found out through gossip.

You fall out of the loop.

 

[broconsul]

I do not believe gossip is a grave matter, so no, it is not mortal.

 

[Reuben_J]

In your case it is definitely not a sin. You just happen to be at the other end of the phone and more over at the end of it you are discreet. So you are not sinning.

It is a good thing that you realize that gossip can lead to sin. Gossiping is a sin when it kills the character and lying about it. Two things can happen there – killing and lying. We not only can kill a person physically but also character wise. It can be a grave matter when it is done with malicious intention and also depend on the content of the gossip and how much harm it could do to the victim. And it is a mortal sin in that situation. To some people their reputation is perhaps much more valuable than their life; so one can see how harmful a gossip can do to them.

Gossip is frowned upon in the Gospel and it is not very Christian to gossip. We should not encourage it. One of the things you could have done was to discourage the person to continue. That would have a very dramatic effect on them – to be told that they are gossiping.

Gossip thrives when there are listeners but more so when the listeners take part to spread it. Likewise it is stifled when it is being ignored.