Between compassion and condemnation: a qualitative study of clergy views on suicide in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The suicide rate in Northern Ireland, particularly among young men has grown rapidly in recent years. A relatively religious society, compared to other UK European regions, a needs assessment of clergy's pastoral response to mental illness and suicide was undertaken as part of the suicide prevention strategy. We carried out in-depth interviews with 37 clergy from a range of Christian denominations. While a compassionate response to suicide by clergy was commonly advocated, made permissible by an attribution to mental illness, there remain some misgivings about a “softer” theological stance towards suicide. This article describes clergy explanatory models of suicide and discusses the issue of cognitive dissonance on this subject.

Keywords:

• suicide
• religion
• pastoral care
• mental illness
• clergy
• suicide prevention

Acknowledgements

We are deeply indebted to the many clergy who assisted in this research. They generously disclosed their difficult and moving experiences and offered important insights to their generally unacknowledged, compassionate work. We are also very grateful to the members of Journey Towards Healing programme who made this sensitive work possible.