Church's previous policy on suicide question

[wjp984]

While I realize today it would be irrelevant since suicide victims are now allowed Catholic funeral masses and burials; however, after watching 24, I was wondering how sure the church had to be before determining someone committed suicide in the past.

For example, would the Church have to be beyond all reasonable doubt that a suicide ocurred to disalow the funeral and burial?

Although it is seen on tv and the movies all the time, it probably does happen in real life once and a while where there is a made to look like suicide that is actually a murder.

The show just made me think a bit on the subject which thankfully is irrelevant today but I can’t help but think certain individuals might have wrongfully been deprived of the benefits of a Catholic funeral and burial back in the day.

 

[1ke]

While I realize today it would be irrelevant since suicide victims are now allowed Catholic funeral masses and burials; however, after watching 24, I was wondering how sure the church had to be before determining someone committed suicide in the past.

For example, would the Church have to be beyond all reasonable doubt that a suicide ocurred to disalow the funeral and burial?

Although it is seen on tv and the movies all the time, it probably does happen in real life once and a while where there is a made to look like suicide that is actually a murder.

The show just made me think a bit on the subject which thankfully is irrelevant today but I can’t help but think certain individuals might have wrongfully been deprived of the benefits of a Catholic funeral and burial back in the day.

“Beyond reasonable doubt” is not a Catholic doctrinal or canon law concept. That is an American legal concept. So, no that is not a standard the Church would use.

And, in days past, the Church would decide based on observable events. The Church is not a forensics team. If it looked like a suicide, I suppose it was deemed one. Back in the day there were no coroners, autopsies, etc.

Certainly some people may have been deprived of a Catholic funeral/burial in error. That has no bearing on their eternal soul at all.