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What is the Church's policy on cremation?
Also, how
are the ashes of the cremated person to be disposed of? In other words, can
or should the ashes be scattered to the winds or dumped in the river or just
kept in a vase, or just buried, all in accord with the requests or wishes of
the decedent?
Answered by:
Rev. Kevin Quirk,
Judicial Vicar, Tribunal Office
In the
ancient world, the common method of burial was cremation for the common
people and for the servants, full body burial being reserved for the
wealthy and those of distinction (of interest, Julius Caesar and several
of his successors were cremated). From its earliest days, though, the
Church adopted the Jewish practice of full-body entombment and purposely
rejected the more pagan practice of cremation. Of course, the Church added
to the general Jewish respect for the body a firm belief in the
resurrection of the body (already developing within certain sections of
the Chosen People) sealed by Christ's resurrection from the dead and
assured for us all by Mary's Assumption. The Roman Catholic Church, after
centuries of opposition, now permits cremation of the body, though does so
with two cautions:
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1.
The option for cremation may not be based on any denial of belief in the
resurrection of the body (Code of Canon Law, canon 1184.1.2).
2.
The cremated remains, called 'cremains' in the current jargon, are to be
reverently treated and to be disposed in a manner identical to that of a
full body, i.e.: buried in blessed ground with the appropriate marker,
placed in a mausoleum or crypt, or otherwise entombed as a full body would
be. Therefore, the cremains may not be scattered or placed in a vase and
displayed.
With
regard to new developments in liturgical practice, as of 1997, the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops has received approval from the Apostolic See
for a funeral mass to be celebrated in the presence of cremains, such
remains to be treated the same as a casket or a catafalque. Previously, in
order to have a funeral mass said, the presence of the full body had been
required. The change allows greater pastoral sensitivity and can save
persons considerable expense.
Rev. Kevin Quirk
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