Do you believe that a person will go straight to hell if they die by suicide? According to the Roman Catholic Church, that is not necessarily so. To better understand this mismatch, it helps to look at some of the theology behind sins.
There are venial sins and mortal sins. Venial sins diminish and wound the divine life in our souls while mortal sins destroy it, thereby separating oneself completely from God. To be a mortal sin, three conditions must be met: 1) The matter of the sin must be grave. Killing is grave. Suicide is killing, but the priest must check the other two conditions before concluding it is mortal. 2) The sinner must have full knowledge of the evil involved. People do not like hearing the word evil when it comes to suicide, but killing in itself originates from evil in the world. 3) Just like in marriage, the person must use the full consent of their will to carry out the action. If the person's mind is compromised in some way, the person did not use their will with full consent and the sin would not be mortal. [1]
Since the one doing the killing is dead, it is impossible to check in on the last two conditions. Therefore, we cannot say for sure that their action was a mortal sin. We do not know for sure if they completely separated themselves from God and put themselves in a state of Hell. We can then hope and pray for the person's eternal salvation of soul. If the person did separate themselves completely from God of their own free will, then the prayers will be used by God in some other beneficient situation.
Using my father as an example, he was an active alcoholic of at least 25 years and most likely depressed at the time of his suicide. One might say "he was not in his right mind" but no one knows for sure. Only God knows. So I pray that Jesus may have forgiven him for his action, and I hope at the least, he may be in Purgatory being healed of remaining sins and the effects of them in preparation for Heaven. That is, I continue to pray for him and the salvation of his soul, that he will be forever united with Jesus Christ. I choose to live in Hope.
Lastly, there is salutary repentance, mentioned below, which is forgiveness in ways only known to God. This is another reason to choose Hope and pray for the one who died by suicide.
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A good reference for this is The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd edition. Here are some useful excerpts.
"1037 God predestines no one to go to hell." [2]
To "go to hell," a person must willingly turn away from God in a grave manner, and persist in doing so. That is, they must of their own volition commit a mortal sin. Second, people do not actually go to hell. Hell is actually a state of the soul. It is "The state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed, reserved for those who refuse by their own free choice to believe and be converted from sin, even to the end of their lives. [3]"
On the other hand, heaven is "the state of supreme and definitive happiness. [4]" It is "Eternal life with God; communion of life and love with the Trinity and all the blessed. [5]"
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 the love of 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 [i.e., culpability] of the one committing suicide [and thereby provide hope for the survivors of the one who took his/her life].
2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation [i.e., getting to Heaven] 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." [6]
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, 1997, available online
pdf version - Catechism of the Catholic Church (vatican.va) [Section 2, Chapter 2, Article 5]
Abbreviated footnotes:
1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, 1997, p. 889.
2. Ibid, p. 270.
3. Ibid, p. 881.
4. Ibid, p. 881.
5. Ibid, p. 881.
6. Ibid, p. 550.
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