The Catholic Church?

Question

in Italy recently condemned a terminally ill man, by rejecting to give him a funeral. They said that because he choose to have is life-support system turned off, it was regarded as suicide.

Ok, i understand that the church regard this as a mortal sin.

But they have granted funerals to mafia bosses, fascist dictator Franco of Spain (who murdered and tortured) and recently Augusto Pinochet.

Where was the justice?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piergiorgio_Welby

Answer 1

Catholic Church and Justice? Hmmm remember they are the ones that brought in the Inquisition, under Pope Innocent! LOL, the Catholic Church is not about Justice it is in fact nearly as bad as the Muslims After all the Jesuit Order was founded as the Military arm of the Catholic Church to kill those that opposed Roman Rule! The Catholic Church condones Priests raping little Children, but forbids priests to marry. Perhaps they never read Pauls letter to Timothy that a man of God must have his own house in order. Peter whom they call the first Pope was married. But they forbid priests to marry becuse at one time the priests were giving their property to their descendants and the Roman Church wanted the property so they said Priests could not marry that way at death all the Priests goods became property of the Pope.

Answer 2

I personally do not believe that a person who turns off their life support is committing suicide. If they are being kept alive indefinitely by a machine then what would happen if the power went out...they would die because their body would have failed.

By unplugging the life support he is only allowing his body to die as it would have anyway.

I don't see how he should have been denied a funeral on this basis.

I do understand as a Christian, that every day we live is a gift from God. He can use us to the very last second of our life. If a person's existence is wrapped up in nothing but pain, and their very existence is complete misery, God can still use them for good even if it cannot be seen or understood at the time.

If a person is being kept alive by a machine and is in misery and terrible pain, then unplug them and let them pass if they are meant to pass. God can heal them and work a miracle in their life if they have faith and if it is His will. Otherwise, they die without artificially prolonged suffering.

If they choose to be kept alive by being plugged into a machine then by all means...keep them on life support.

Just my opinion.

Otherwise it just seems like a prison sentence imposed by a human warden.

Answer 3

You can not blame the entire Catholic Church on this one incidence. Individual churches within the Catholic Church make their own decisions and obviously some of them were wrong or unfair. Turning off the feeding tube is a mortal sin, but turning off the breathing machine is not. If individuals confess their mortal sins to a priest before they die, they can have a funeral. But obviously this couldn't happen in this case.

Answer 4

A person isn't saved by a funeral service. We are saved by accepting Christ and living as though we accepted Him. If he wasn't saved without the funeral service he wouldn't have been saved with it either. Refusing a funeral service to a Catholic who commits suicide is not usual however, at least in the United States.

Answer 5

Justice?

The guy's entire life was spent advocating things that were absolutely against church teachings and practices.

He was a druggie and a burnout.

It wasn't his method of dying that separated him from the church ... it was the way he lived.

He advocated embryonic stem cell research, whose benefits are yet unproven ... a practice which destroys huge numbers of innocent lives in the mere HOPE of someday finding a cure for various illnesses.

Why would you expect the only church in the world that is on record stating that ALL life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, to compromise its' principles by blessing someone who's actions only serve to invite others to do as he did?

As for the others ... they all had the opportunity to make their peace with God, prior to their demise ... and that is exactly as it should be for all.

The church is the God appointed earthly governing authority for all Christians, while Jesus is the only arbiter of man's eternal destiny.

That's how it is ... and that's exactly how it should be.

Jesus will give him his justice ... and may God have mercy on his soul.

Answer 6

Which
Religion
Should You
Choose?

'DIFFERENT religions are simply different roads leading to the same goal. After all, there is only one God, is there not?' That sentiment is shared by many who feel that although religious affiliation is important, it does not really matter which religion one chooses to follow.

At first glance, this argument may seem plausible, since it is true that there is only one God, the Almighty. (Isaiah 44:6; John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:5, 6) However, we cannot overlook the obvious differences—even contradictions—among the many religious groups who claim to serve the true God. They differ greatly in their practices, their beliefs, their teachings, and their requirements. The differences are so great that those belonging to one religion or group find it difficult to understand or accept what the others teach or believe.

On the other hand, Jesus said: "God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth." (John 4:24) Does worshiping God with truth allow for a range of contradictory ideas about who God is, what his purposes are, and how he wants to be worshiped? Is it logical to believe that it is immaterial to Almighty God how we worship him?

Please enjoy the rest of this article right here! http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040601/article_02.htm

Answer 7

It doesn't really matter. When a person dies it is too late for them to be saved any way. The catholic church believes that they can pray people into heaven and that people can buy indulgences to get their loved ones into heaven. When a person dies their soul departs for what ever realm they chose in life. If they accepted Jesus Christ as their savior then they go to heaven if not they go to Hell. Once they are dead it is too late for them to make this choice and regardless of what the Catholic church teaches, it is too late to change their destination. The body is just an empty shell the soul once dwelled in for which the person has not more need of.

Answer 8

First off, Welby's story is sad and touching, and i am glad that he is at peace.

However, it's unfortunate that somebody would want a Catholic funeral in the first place. They dissed him, that's fine -- but by no means did they "condemn" him to anything! He and others should have long since dissed the Catholic Church.

I know, some people like to think that they will "reform" the church, but that's like trying to teach a pig to sing: it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.

Answer 9

Understand that a Catholic funeral is a prayer for the soul of the departed (whom we believe may be undergoing purgation). Suicide is a sin for which there is no opportunity to repent, and so the likelihood that he went to Hell is so great that praying for his soul would be a waste of time.

Answer 10

I think it is appalling that any church would refuse to hold a funeral for anyone. We had a similar situation in the U.S. recently when A non-denominational church in Arlington, Texas volunteered to host a funeral for a vet, then reneged on the invitation when they learned the man was a homosexual.
If I was a member of such a church, I would immediately leave.