Bill No 3 to amend in Chapter IX of the Constitution, Canon 32 (2), seeks to remove suicide from the list of exceptions relating to provisions for the burial of the dead in this Canon.

As any proposal to amend a Canon must be presented to the General Synod over two sessions, this Bill follows on from a Resolution which was passed at the 2006 General Synod in Armagh.

Proposing this amendment, the Rt Revd Paul Colton, Bishop of Cork, highlighted the widespread tragedy of suicide.  He told the Synod that suicidal behaviour is a global health problem that continues to pose a huge challenge to health professionals around the world.  “The laws we make as a Church should reflect the kind of Church we want to be”, he said.  This Canon as it stands, if it was invoked, would “be neither caring nor helpful, and would subject the bereaved to further anguish and suffering,” he told Synod.  This is not in keeping with the Church’s pastoral role.

Bishop Colton also reminded Synod that suicide is no longer a crime and the current wording of Canon 32 does not reflect this change.

The Resolution was formally seconded by the Bishop of Kilmore.

Mr David Wynne (Dublin) commended this Bill to the Synod emphasizing the unfair burden that the current wording of the Canon puts on the clergy.  “To remove the phrase ‘or committed suicide’ will not remove the priest’s discretion, “he said, “but will allow the priest to minister to the bereaved.”

Bill No 3 was approved by Synod and will receive its third and final reading on Thursday, the last day of the General Synod.