Very good article on suicide and forgiveness

Here is an article taken from our Diocesan Publication on Suicide. I hope it brings peace whose loved ones have gone down that path. Question Corner Father Kenneth Doyle Can suicide be forgiven? Q. I need an answer. Our son had been suffering from clinical depression since he was 4 years old. All of the doctors and all of the medications we tried over the years seemed to do little to help. One year ago, his own son died in an auto accident at the age of 24, and that seemed to be more than our son could handle. Last week ~ve received a phone call that our ;on. aged 50, had taken his own Life. The priest from our church spent that evening with us. He :old us that our son was forgiven because it was mental illness :hat caused him to take his life. - :e my sister found out about ~y son's self-inflicted death, has refused to speak with us. I am wondering whether she believes that someone who _ jmmits suicide, no matter what :he reason, is condemned forever. I am writing to you because I would like to have someone who emoved from the scene tell ~e what the Catholic Church's :hinking is on this subject. (City ::" origin withheld) A. Suicide, objectively, is a grave sin. God has gifted us with •-. We are only its stewards, not .nasters. But in reminding :: that, the Catechism of the .-.:>lic Church in No. 2282 '-: to note that the moral responsibility for a suicide may be diminished because the inner turmoil a person was going through precluded sound reasoning. The catechism goes on to say in No. 2283 that "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." In contrast to older versions of the Code of Canon Law, Canon No. 1184 no longer lists a person who died by suicide as someone who should not be given a Christian funeral. Moral judgment in such cases is best left to God. The church's approach to the tragedy is pity, not condemnation, and your parish priest had a sound basis for the comfort he offered you.