Do not condemn people with suicide intentions – church

A Catholic clergy in Solwezi district in North-Western Province has appealed to the church not to ignore people who show intentions of committing suicide.

Speaking at a nine day prayer session in preparation for Christmas, dubbed healing of broken hearts held at St. Daniel Cathedral Parish, Father Daniel Maungani said committing suicide begins with a thought followed by a word.

Fr. Maungani who is also St. Daniel Catholic Cathedral administrator said people who commit suicide first develop thoughts of self-harm and hatred which eventually leads them to wanting to commit suicide.

“Others develop thoughts of self-harm…to harm themselves. Some want to commit suicide… anything I will kill myself…anything small I will kill myself…every time until finally you find them hanging”, he said.

Fr. Maungani said people who mention of wanting to commit suicide every time are heart broken and need to be helped.

He said condemning them is not a solution as it will only add petrol on the already deteriorating problems of the individual in question.

“So if you hear a person every time talking about hanging himself,take that person seriously because he will indeed kill himself …he has a broken heart…you just find a person has taken chloroquine and killed himself” Fr. Maungani said.

He said a person with thoughts of committing suicide is sick in the heart adding that people around him should pay a lot of attention to him.

Fr. Maungani said broken heartiness can lead people to throw themselves into different things and ways that make others surprised because the person is heartbroken inside.

He since advised members of the church not to condemn such people as sinners or outcast but to support them by offering them counselling in order to help them come out of the situation.