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Q&A

Is Unpaid Debt Stealing?

Fr. Charles Grondin

Question:

Years ago I lost my job and was unable to pay off my credit cards. Is this considered stealing?

Answer:

It would only be considered stealing if you intentionally ran up debts that you had no intention of paying. Simply falling behind in bills due to bad circumstances may be poor planning but it definitely is not stealing. If the credit card companies settled the debt or wrote it off, that is a perfectly acceptable agreement.

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