# Catholics, suicide and 9/11 **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 11, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-suicide-and-9-11/201047 "2003-09-11T21:14:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![williambaskerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@williambaskerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williambaskerville)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-suicide-and-9-11/201047/41 "2003-09-13T06:21:27Z")
Surely anyway Catholic theology would dictate that their intent was critical : - did they commit suicide, to achieve a less painful death, or were they grasping at a last, billion to one shot of life ? As noted earlier, people have survived jumps like that…an air hostess survived a 33,000 feet fall from a disintegrating airplane. If they knew that their current situation led only to certain death, and they had no other options than the billion to one shot, then taking that shot wasn’t suicide anyway. Since no-one can know what was in their minds anyway, which would be necessary to judge intent, I don’t see how even the most rigorous Catholic theologian can declare these deaths to be suicides. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-suicide-and-9-11/201047/42 "2003-09-13T16:54:12Z")
A Catholic friend, whom I had known since we were both little, committed suicide some years ago and she was not consided to have committed a mortal sin by the local priest. Secondly, aren’t there people who have tried to commit suicide by jumping off a skyscraper, only to be blown back into it many floors down by the wind? Looking at pictures of the jumpers leaves me feeling sick and angry. And I did my little bit doing something about it. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-suicide-and-9-11/201047/43 "2003-09-14T00:38:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grimpixie \* > **I can see a case being made that a successful attempt at suicide means that the attempter never has the opportunity to ask for forgiveness - especially if you place great store in the ritual of Confession - and therefore arrives at before the Judgement Seat with at least one sin on thier slate.** It’s a grim point, but suicide-by-jumping would give you a chance to repent, wouldn’t it? Assuming you don’t necessarily need a priest there in an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-suicide-and-9-11/201047/44 "2003-09-14T01:47:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Isabelle \* > \*\*If these people who jumped died and went to hell it is not because they “jumped” but because their life was not right with Christ. \*\* As one whose life is not “right with Christ,” and never will be, I’ll be mighty honored to spend eternity with these people. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-suicide-and-9-11/201047/45 "2003-09-14T04:40:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by panache45 \* > \*\*As one whose life is not “right with Christ,” and never will be, I’ll be mighty honored to spend eternity with these people. \*\* Wasn’t it Mark Twain who said that he preferred, “Heaven for the climate, Hell for the society?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catholics-suicide-and-9-11/201047.md?page=2)