I don’t usually ask questions like this…

and I left the fold a long time ago. But since 9/11 just passed, a friend who’s devout was wondering if the "jumpers" (those who leapt from the Towers to avoid being burnt alive) were pardoned by the Pope because of the circumstances, or were they viewed as actual suicides ? I have no idea, but I agreed to ask.

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LeopoldBloom · M

I would assume that suicide in extremis is permitted. They didn’t exactly commit suicide, they were desperately trying to escape certain death. I don’t see how they could be held religiously responsible for this, but what do I know.

I remember when the plane with the soccer team crashed in the Andes and the people survived by eating the dead passengers, and the Pope absolved them of the sin of cannibalism based on that rationale.