Wish to ask a question on suicide...

[smoothrose]

Hi--

I realize this is a sensitive topic, but I ask out of curiosity and with no intention to insult the faith. I've read that throughout history, suicides who were Catholics were often denied a Catholic funeral. I recently read somewhere that there is no actual canon rule or decree forbidding suicides from having a Catholic funeral. The denial for a Catholic funeral has been approved by various bishops to emphasize the seriousness of suicide as a mortal sin. My question is this: doesn't this cause further harm to the grieving family of the deceased when they are denied Catholic funerals? To me, it seems more cruel to do that to the people left behind by a suicide instead of just mourning the person who killed themselves and leaving the judgement up to God. Does this practice of denying suicides a Catholic funeral still exist in this day and age? Thank you.

 

[Rhamiel]

the idea is that unrepentant sinners do not get the benefit of a Christian burial

this is seen as a way to take a strong stance against sin

over the years, the idea has been that mental illness may remove some of the culpability of most of these cases
and the idea is to entrust the person to the mercy of the Lord

I see pros and cons to both approaches

 

[Soma Seer]

...The idea is to entrust the person to the mercy of the Lord.

That seems like the best/correct route to take: trust that God's Law will bring things into proper balance.

 

[Martinius]

I am aware of several instances where people who committed suicide where given Catholic funerals. As Rhamiel said, there is a consideration of the person's mental state, and in one case that I know, the effects of a drug that the person was prescribed. People who kill themselves are usually in great mental anguish and are not able to think rationally. I think the Church's apparent change of direction in how it treats these victims is right and proper. Let God be the judge.

 

[Soma Seer]

I think the Church's apparent change of direction in how it treats these victims is right and proper. Let God be the judge.