Thou Shalt Not Fink?

[777]

Is it a sin to tattle on someone, regardless of the circumstances? I once saw on the tv, two friars; one took to gambling, while the other reported what the gambler did to his superior, only for the superior to turn the two friars for penance. When the monk that reported the gambling said, “Why me? I didn’t fall to the vice of gambling.” the superior said, “True, but you did violate a rule–‘thou shalt not fink.’”

 

[Dr.Colossus]

Let’s get our words straight before the conversation proceeds any further. To “tattle” or “fink” means to reveal another person’s wrongdoings simply to make yourself look better or out of a sense of pride of having not committed the mistake yourself. This would at the very least be an uncharitable thing to do, and I am reminded of the Lord’s words to “remove the beam from your own eye” before nitpicking another’s faults.

On the other hand, to tell on someone because what they are doing is illegal or dangerous would not be “finking”, but rather an act of service.