Flattery or Adulation

Friendliness or affability is a virtue which strives tomake things pleasant. But there are situations in which the effortof friendliness must fail of its object: that is, particular casesin which people cannot or will not be friendly. In such situations,flattery is likely to show itself. Flattery is a sort of lying, andhas the evil of lying. It is the effort to please people bypraising them for good qualities they do not possess, or approvingtheir bad qualities which should be condemned. Flattery usually hasthe ulterior view of getting something from those who are subjectedto it.

Unless flattery is praise of a person’s sin or ismeant to draw him into sin, it is usually a venial, not a mortalsin.