The Defendent in Court

The accused is bound to tell the truth exacted of him according to the forms of law. If he refuses to tell what he is obliged to tell, or ifhe lies, he sins, and sins gravely. But if he is asked what he is under no duty to tell, he may withhold an answer, evade the issue, or appeal it. But he is never permitted to lie.

Certainly, the accused person may not seek his escape by calumnies, uttered against his accusers for the purpose ofdiscrediting them.

A man may justly appeal his case when he is convinced that his cause is just, and that the case has not been, or will notbe, fairly decided. But a man who knows that his sentence is, or will be just, and who appeals to occasion delay in having it pronounced, is not justified in making the appeal.

A man justly condemned to death may not lawfully seek to defend himself by using violence against his executioners. A manunjustly condemned may rightly resist execution by every means inhis power, provided his action does not work serious harm to the common good.