Is Friar Lawrence telling the complete truth in his speech in Act V scene 3?

This is an excellent question to consider. My short answer
to it is that he does tell the truth partly, but clearly he does not reveal the way that
he had rather arrogantly hoped to be the man responsible for healing the breach between
the two feuding houses of the Montagues and the Capulets. This question of course does
relate to a much bigger issue, which is to what extent is Friar Lawrence responsible for
the tragedy.

However, to focus on this speech alone, on the
one hand, Friar Lawrence openly confesses everything about what he had done and his own
role in the tragic events. He admits that he was the one to marry Romeo and Juliet and
that also he gave Juliet a sleeping potion and hoped to manage the reuniting of the
lovers. He does end his speech by saying that if he can be found at fault, then he
accepts any punishment that the state does give
him.

However, if we look more closely at what he says, we
could argue that he is trying to present himself in a way that lessens his guilt in the
case. Consider the following example:

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You, to remove that siege of grief from
her,

Betrothed and would have married her
perforce

To County Paris. Then comes she to
me

And with wild looks bid me devise some
mean

To rid her of this second
marriage,

Or in my cell there would she kill
herself.

Note the way that in
this quote Friar Lawrence implicates the Capulets in the tragedy, accusing them with the
rather stark "You." He also presents himself as being forced into giving Juliet the
potion to stop her from killing herself, whereas, although Juliet certainly was suicidal
and desperate, we could argue Friar Lawrence was driven by thoughts of the glory that he
could achieve by broaching a peace between the two houses. So, the Friar is certainly
truthful on the whole, but we need to be aware of the spin that he puts on his version
of events and how this spin deflects blame.