Stoic thought in ancient Greece and Rome had a cyclical worldview and was not so attached to human life. Scholars influenced by this regarded giving up life when difficulties arose as an act of freedom. So begins the column on the history of suicide in the Catholic Times by the Director of the Suicide Prevention Center.
In the era of persecution in early Christianity, Christians said: "Whoever wants to follow the Lord must be able to hate his own family, his brothers, and sisters, and even his own life" (Luke 14:26). And, "There is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends." (John 15:13).
Numerous Christians who wanted to be free from the oppression and persecution of this world and their desire to defend their love and faith in God died as martyrs. With the Edict of Milan in 313, the situation changed drastically. Christianity, which had been persecuted as a minority religion, was allowed to be freely practiced by anyone, and in 381 AD with the Edict of Thessalonica, it became the state religion.
Even after that, the desire for martyrdom continued, but even though it was not inevitable they voluntarily pursued persecution and death and made extreme choices to become martyrs. Some believed that the reward that the martyrs would receive was much greater and they would go directly to heaven. They also saw that the church respects the martyrs and took care of their families.
As the number of these increased, the church fathers of the early Christian era rejected this pseudo-martyrdom and the opposition brought about the opposition to suicide.
The Council of Carthage (348) condemned those who took their own lives for various reasons. And this atmosphere condemning suicide reached its climax with Augustine (354-430) the Bishop of Hippo. Suicide is a murder of oneself, and killing oneself is also an act of killing a human being, so it is taught that it is against the commandment 'Do not kill'. Augustine was the first person in the history of the Catholic Church to explicitly write out the prohibition of suicide in his writings, and this became established in the church.
In modern times, there has been a change in this trend, and in 1983, the new 「Code of Canon Law」 deleted the clause prohibiting the funeral of a person who committed suicide. This is also confirmed through other documents.
"We must not despair of the eternal salvation of those who have taken their own lives. God can give them an effective chance of repentance in a way only he knows. The Church also prays for those who have taken their own lives" (Catechism of the Catholic Church- 2283).
"Suicide is always as morally objectionable as murder. The Church's tradition has always rejected it as a gravely evil choice. Even though a certain psychological, cultural, and social conditioning may induce a person to carry out an action that so radically contradicts the innate inclination to life, thus lessening or removing subjective responsibility..."(The Gospel of Life) Article 66)
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