https://doi.org/10.4081/mem.2025.1633
The debate in Bioethics - Medically assisted suicide: the vision of catholic theology
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The theological debate on medically assisted suicide, in light of Constitutional Court ruling no. 242/2019, highlights the complexity of the issue, intertwining philosophy, theology, and morality. The Catholic Church, while recognizing the subjectivity of personal conditions, considers suicide an objective evil, linking death to sin and the mystery of iniquity. Through an eschatological and Christological analysis, it emerges that death is not merely a biological event but an act imbued with historical and salvific significance, in reference to the death and resurrection of Christ. The theological reflection, revived in the 20th century by thinkers such as Rahner and Balthasar, emphasizes the non-availability of life and human freedom as a call to trustful abandonment to God. The Church reiterates that assisted suicide represents an act of radical self-determination that conflicts with the transcendent dimension of human freedom. The Christian message presents itself as a universal testimony, raising a profound question even for those outside the faith: death remains a mystery that challenges human reason and freedom.
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