Ladislaus-
I agree with what you have said, but the issue not truly being addressed here is if in certain cases the ѕυιcιdє itself could be in question , as in drug overdose/ ѕυιcιdє or psych meds/ psychotic break/ ѕυιcιdє.
-a situation of intention or lack thereof that resulted in their own death.
Is it still scandalous to have an unattended (family only) private Mass (actually public as you so described), with the decision to allow a Mass to be ultimately determined by the Priest who may know the personal issues or potential lack of mental culpability involved?
(and not determined by the coroner who could only objectively pronounce for a ѕυιcιdє).
Who makes that call? The death certificate or the priest's determination of the circuмstances?)
So, I think you're conflating the two issues, 1) whether there's hope that this individual has not been lost and 2) the propriety of having a public Requiem Mass.
I would hold that unless it's OBVIOUS that the individual mentally impaired, to the point of being unable to reason, it would be scandalous and generally inappropriate to have a public Funeral Mass, or even Requiem down the road. Yes, SSRIs can lead to increased suicidal ideation, but they do not remove free will. Now, as to whether the free will was impaired enough or not in order to remove culpability, or, furthermore, whether the individual have enough time and a gift of lucidity to make a perfect act of contrition ... those really speak more to the internal forum, except in rare cases such as when it had been revealed to St. John Vianney (in the case of the man who jumped off the bridge but had just a moment of grace to make the act of contrition). Generally speaking, unless someone is clearly impaired to the point that free will would not have been involved ... it must be presumed that there was an active of free will there to commit ѕυιcιdє, whether or not there may be hope from internal-forum considerations.
As per the above, there may be SOME kind of (rather private) family event, but certainly not a Burial Mass nor a Requiem Mass, but then what's the point of such an event, just for family to pretend all's well and he's in a better place now, just to console one another? Those things can be done at a wake. This reminds me of Bergoglio saying that sodomite blessing can be performed as long as it doesn't LOOK like a wedding (with all the trappings). Very subjective, and slippery slope there.
So in the internal forum, you can hold out hope that some extenuating circuмstances may have been involved, and pray for the individual (either privately or via Mass offered for your "Private Intentions"), but I don't think any more than that is appropriate, no official "sendoff" by the Church, no Burial, no formal memorial that includes a Requiem Mass.
Again, there are two questions being conflated ... 1) the state of the souls, if they are not lost, who can be benefitted greatly without the public obsequies by having Mass offered for those Private Intentions and 2) the family's desire to somehow have a memorial for some purpose, to console themsleves, get together, etc.
Those two concerns need to be separated, but even just having some event to commemorate the departed and whatnot, just that could very quickly turn into a communal expression of hope that the departed has gone to a "better place", depending on who'se attending, and engender precisley the attitude that the Church is attempting to condemn.
I don't believe someone on SSRIs and struggling with depression qualifies as being mentally impaired enought to justify a public Mass of Christian Burial (Funeral) or even a Requiem Mass.
Topic: ѕυιcιdє (Read 17565 times)