What do we gather about the Church's position on suicide from what Friar Lawrence tells Romeo?

Answer 1

When Romeo tries to kill himself in Act III Scene 3, the Friar talks him out of it. But he does not use the Church's position on suicide to do so. And wisely so. Romeo is in a mood to defy damnation, and the friar well knows that the only way to reach Romeo is to appeal to his love for Juliet. Thus he argues that by killing himself Romeo will also kill Juliet, whose life is entwined with his. He argues that Romeo will make himself a perjurer if he kills the one he has sworn to love. These arguments, plus the argument that there is still hope for life together despite the banishment, are what persuades Romeo to abandon the suicide idea. An argument along the lines of "Don't commit suicide or you will go to Hell." would have had no effect. The closest he comes is by describing suicide as "doing damnéd hate".

There is good reason for this. Romeo and Juliet is a play, not a catechism class. Shakespeare's audience knew exactly what the church's position on suicide was and is, as do most modern readers. Just in case you don't, suicide is a mortal sin in the Catholic Church, and suicides are denied funerals and burial in consecrated ground. We see the effect of this in another Shakespeare play, Hamlet, where Ophelia's burial is compromised because she is a suspected suicide.