The Church’s teaching on suicide: Everything you need to know
What does the Catholic Church teach about suicide – and why?
What does the Catholic Church teach about suicide – and why?
(WM Round-Up) – Although it is not always evident here, long-time readers of The WM Review may know that both editors have an interest in the Catholic understanding of psychology, and in mental health.
One of our most popular articles of all time is ‘It’s not a sin to be depressed: What St Philip Neri and St Thomas Aquinas have to say’. In a world in which natural ailments like depression are “supernaturalised” or “spiritualised”, and even presented as moral faults, many readers living with depression found this article refreshing and helpful.
Incidentally, I was interested to note that Bishop Donald Sanborn expressed similar ideas in the June 2026 livestream for Roman Catholic Media:
In a similar vein, LifeSiteNews have just published a lengthy article by myself on the topic of suicide. The article was prompted by the Archdiocese of Chicago’s recent unveiling of a monument to those who have committed suicide.
Here are the Contents of the article, to give an idea of the topics discussed:
CONTENTS
Introduction – The Archdiocese of Chicago’s Monument
The traditional teaching of the Church on suicide
Voluntary and involuntary suicide
Direct and indirect suicide
What the Church teaches on the morality of suicide
The reasons the Church gives for judging suicide to be evil
‘Suicidal ideation’: Temptations to suicide
Talking about temptations to suicide
The eternal fate of suicides
Can suicides repent – and can we hope or presume that they did?
The anecdote of St John Vianney, Curé d’Ars
What is mortal sin, and what is perfect contrition?
The practical importance of thinking about eternity
The Church’s traditional practice regarding suicides
Are suicides incapable of exercising free will?
Evaluation of the Chicago monument
Conclusion – G.K. Chesterton on suicide
You can find the article here at LifeSiteNews:
The Church’s teaching on suicide: everything you need to know
Here are some necessary disclaimers, included in the article:
WARNING: The following essay deals with very serious issues. Some readers may be troubled by its content, especially if they have lost loved ones to suicide. Reader discretion is required.
And here are some necessary resources, also taken from the article:
Suicide is preventable.
The CDC has some resources here: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/resources/index.html
You can also read about warning signs and how to talk to someone in your life who may be at risk.
You can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (The Lifeline is toll-free, available 24/7, 365 days a year). You can also chat at Chat at 988lifeline.org
You should also consider reaching out to a traditional Catholic priest in your area.
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Suicide is not always preventable. If it were, my son would be here, alive, now instead of buried in the cemetery down the road. For twenty years, from the time he graduated college until he killed himself March this year, he was in and out of counseling, on and off anti-depressants, supported emotionally and financially by family and friends who told him without ceasing how valuable he is to God and to those of us who love him. He was baptized as a baby, taken to church every Sunday, attended Christian private school,
and after my husband and I converted to Catholicism when our son was in his twenties, invited to attend Mass with us. We talked to him about the sanctity of life, of all life as well as his own life, and we talked to him of God’s plan for his life, invited him to seek it and also to seek help from God in using his suffering for the good of his soul. We made him promise not to harm himself, which he did promise, but in the end he took his life anyway. Whether or not he is in Hell we cannot know at this point, but we can pray for him in case he is in Purgatory and we have Masses said for him, as our priests encourage us to do for him. We understand the Church teaching on suicide, but we also know that God acts outside of our human understanding so we pray for Christopher’s soul in the hope that PERHAPS somehow in his final moment Christopher repented his action and his sin against God. These things we cannot know for sure and it’s not for us to know. But we trust in God, not in our own understanding, so we’ll continue to pray for our son’s soul and have Masses said for him as long as we are alive in this world. But one thing we know for sure: suicide is not preventable in all cases. This assertion in this article needs to be written in a more nuances tone.
In New Jersey and other states there is a procedure called palliative sedation. It is performed in hospice under the direction of the hospital staff with the written consent of the patient. It isn't as casual as assisted suicide, coined by some entities. Yet, in reality, it is. How is palliative sedation categorized by Canon Law?