Jenny Waldrop
wrote at 4:16am on July 10th 2008
my nephew's best friend hung himself yesterday. can i comfort him that he is in heaven. I was told once that suicides don't go to heaven.

Father John Flynn
wrote at 8:51am on July 10th 2008 in reply to Jenny Waldrop
Dear Jenny: I am very sorry to hear about this and I will keep this person in my prayers. The Catechism deals with this and below I have pasted in the relevant numbers. As you can see the Church states that suicide is indeed a grave moral sin. Nevertheless, it also recognizes that many factors can come into play and someone's responsibility for suicide can be diminished through psychological problems and other factors.

What we can do is pray for people who commit suicide. We do not know their fate, but we should not despair. In fact, we can't automatically assume anyone is in Heaven, outside the saints declared by the Church, so we should pray for all those who have died.


2280
Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to
him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged
to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the
salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God
has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

2281
Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to
preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just
love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly
breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human
societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary
to love for the living God.

2282
If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example,
especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal.
Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.

Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship,
suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one
committing suicide.

2283
We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have
taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the
opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who
have taken their own lives.

Further Q&A about the topic@http://www.xt3.com/discussion/thread.php?id=2163