The Archdiocese of Chicago, led by Cardinal Blase Cupich, has stated that those who have died by suicide “are with God, not condemned” on the occasion of the inauguration of a new memorial dedicated to suicide victims. The statement, included in the archdiocese’s official communiqué, has drawn attention for the way it presents the Church’s teaching on the eternal destiny of those who take their own lives.
The memorial, named At Peace, was inaugurated on June 26 at the Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. According to the archdiocese, it is the first memorial promoted by a U.S. Catholic archdiocese specifically dedicated to those who have died by suicide and to their families.
A memorial to accompany families
The monument was conceived as a place of prayer, remembrance, and support for those who have lost a loved one to suicide.
“This shrine reminds us that no one grieves alone and that every person is sustained by God’s merciful love,” said Bishop Lawrence J. Sullivan, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Chicago. “For families carrying the pain of losing a loved one to suicide, we want this to be a place of peace, healing, and consolation.”
The initiative arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, when concern about mental health issues increased. The project was developed in collaboration with pastoral leaders, mental health specialists, and members of the Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide (LOSS) program of Catholic Charities.
The memorial has been dedicated to Father Charles Rubey, a priest who for fifty years has accompanied families affected by suicide. During the inauguration, Rubey stated that the initiative reflects “the Church’s willingness to acknowledge past misunderstandings about suicide” and affirmed that it shows families that “their loved ones are with God, their lives were sacred, and they are part of the faithful.”
“Are with God, not condemned”
The archdiocese’s official communiqué states that the Church “has undergone a significant transformation” in its understanding of suicide and mental illness and maintains that “it now embraces these persons and affirms that they are with God, not condemned.”
However, the Catechism of the Catholic Church maintains a different formulation. It recalls that life belongs to God and that man is its steward, not its owner (CCC 2280). In that context, it teaches that “suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate life,” that “it is gravely contrary to the just love of oneself,” “it also offends the love of neighbor,” and “it is contrary to the love of the living God” (CCC 2281).
At the same time, the Church recognizes that “grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one who commits suicide” (CCC 2282).
For this reason, the Catechism concludes that “we should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives,” since “by ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.” It further adds that “the Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives” (CCC 2283).
The Catechism’s formulation therefore invites trust in God’s mercy in each individual case, but it avoids making a general assertion that those who die by suicide “are with God,” as the communiqué from the Archdiocese of Chicago does.