Can suicide victims go to Heaven?

Logically the answer should be no. Catholics typically believe that in order to be saved you must die in communion with the church having no unconfessed mortal sin. “ 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.”¹. Logically we would assume that suicide would be a mortal sin. However, this is not always the case. 

        What are the top causes of suicide? Although there are those who consider suicide due to current pressures in their life we cannot pretend that there aren’t those who suffer from mental illness that removes in a sense the ability to truly consent. This may not make sense looking from the outside as the victim committed every action. Let’s look at the state of depression though. Many times depression is caused by external factors that the victim cannot cope with. However, there are also cases when depression is caused by something internally. Although recently therapists have been moving away from the term “chemical imbalance” as it is far more complex. It is apparent that victims of this type of depression are hard to help because in the depths of their despair their mental image of the world is distorted for lack of a better term. Can we consider these cases of depression motivated suicide as a mortal sin when they cannot truly consent due to a distorted worldview through no fault of their own?

        The church teaches “Only those who have the use of reason are capable of committing mortal sin.”² If someone is in the very depths of depression their use of reasoning can be effectively removed and thus they fail to meet one of the three criteria of mortal sin.

        Second Point. The Catholic Church firmly teaches that all sin can be forgiven. “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men” ³ If God can forgive all sin how can suicide be forgiven except after the victims life on Earth? There is no sin God cannot forgive and although the person is cut off from the nominal channel of forgiveness they are not cut off from God’s mercy. “God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.”⁴ God can forgive those who for whatever reason cannot make a valid confession as his forgiveness while nominally given through is not bound to the sacrament.

        Final Point. The church teaches “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.” ⁵ Though we are saddened by those who would take their own lives they are not beyond redemption and thus we as the Church are to pray for them.

¹ CCC 1281

² Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities

³ CCC 1284

⁴ CCC 1257

⁵ CCC 2283