09/07/2025
CAN A PRIEST OR LAY CATHOLIC WHO DIED BY SU***DE BE BURIED IN CHURCH?
WHY PRAY FOR HIS SOUL? WILL HE MAKE HEAVEN? ISN’T THAT WHAT JUDAS DID?
CTTO of the picture and article…Catholic Christianity
Catholics Online Class
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Judas did it and was condemned. Why are we praying for this one?
THE WOUND NO ONE SEES
On July 5, 2025, Fr. Matteo Balzano, a 35-year-old Italian priest, was found lifeless in his residence.
He had taken his own life.
Those who knew him described him as joyful, dedicated, and present, especially among the youth. But beneath the vestments and smiles may have been silent wounds the world could not see.
And now, in the wake of his death, questions have begun to swirl:
❓ Can a priest who dies by su***de be saved?
❓ Should he be given a Church funeral?
❓ Isn’t su***de a mortal sin, just like Judas?
UNDERSTANDING JUDAS — AND JESUS
Let’s begin with Judas.
“Then Judas... went away and hanged himself.” (Matthew 27:5)
Yes, Judas took his own life.
But that is not why he is remembered with horror.
The Gospel makes it clear: Judas rejected mercy. He returned the money, confessed his sin, and went off alone, not to repentance, but to despair.
Contrast this with Peter, who also betrayed Jesus, three times.
But Peter wept. He returned. And Jesus restored him. (John 21:15–19)
The difference between Judas and Peter is not who sinned more, but who allowed Jesus to heal their sin.
And this brings us to Fr. Matteo, and every soul who dies by su***de.
WHAT THE CHURCH TEACHES, AND WHY
There was a time when the Church refused funerals for those who took their own lives.
But the Church has grown in wisdom, mercy, and understanding.
Today, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
“Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear... can diminish the responsibility of the one committing su***de.”
(CCC 2282)
“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.”
(CCC 2283)
This means that:
✅ Su***de, while a grave matter, may not be mortal sin in every case.
✅ The Church permits funerals and prayers for the soul.
✅ We are encouraged to entrust the dead to God’s mercy, not judge their eternal fate.
THE FINAL MOMENT — GOD’S MERCY OUTRUNS OUR TRAGEDY
The human brain can fall sick, just like the body. Depression, trauma, emotional isolation — these are not spiritual weaknesses. They are real afflictions, and they can cloud a person’s freedom.
And so, even in the last seconds before death, God — in His eternal present, can act.
He can pierce the fog of despair.
He can hear a wordless whisper: “Jesus, remember me…” (Luke 23:42)
And the same Jesus who said to the thief, “Today you will be with me in paradise,” may have said it again, to a dying priest whose soul reached out in its final breath.
PRIESTS ARE NOT MADE OF STONE
Fr. Matteo is not the only one. Around the world, priests carry:
The sins of others in confession,
The loneliness of celibacy,
The weight of expectations,
The agony of their own struggles, often in silence.
They offer us the Eucharist, but often go to bed hungry for companionship.
They preach joy, while wrestling with inner darkness.
They pray for others, and sometimes forget to ask prayer for themselves.
The priesthood is a mystery of both grace and pain. And it’s time we stopped pretending they don’t bleed.
SO, SHOULD WE PRAY FOR HIM?
Yes. Absolutely yes.
We pray not because we know a soul is in heaven, but because we hope.
We pray because God is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4).
A funeral Mass is not a stamp of approval.
It is a plea to the Father:
“Look not upon his sins, but upon the faith of your Church.”
We do not canonize him. We commend him — to Christ, the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one. (Luke 15:4)
📿 SO,
Can he make heaven?
👉 Only God knows.
But we believe in a God who is “close to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18).
A God who said, “I will not reject anyone who comes to me.” (John 6:37)
A God who defeated death, and knows what it feels like to be abandoned.
So yes , we hope. We pray. And we entrust Fr. Matteo, and every soul like him, to the arms of Divine Mercy.
✝️ “Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen.”
***de
