Colm Fitzpatrick
Questions of Faith
It’s becoming more and more popular nowadays for people to opt for cremation instead of burial. There are plenty of reasons why this has become the norm: it’s cheaper than a traditional funeral; non-religious don’t want to be buried in a graveyard; some choose it because of their phobia of waking up in a coffin; it has sentimental and aesthetic value as ashes can be placed in an urn or spread in an area that was important to the deceased.
The Church has always had a tense relationship with the practice of cremation, namely because Christianity extols the importance of the body. While other religions routinely burn their deceased, there has always been a strong tradition of Christians having a bodily burial – it is recorded that many people risked their lives in times of persecution to recover the body of martyrs in order to provide them a traditional burial.
Just like Jesus, Catholics hold that in Heaven we will have bodies, and so in some sense, it’s important that we recognise their theological significance during our earthly lives.
In the past, the Church prohibited cremation and enforced bodily burial, but this teaching has loosened in the last century or so. In 1983 for example, the Code of Canon Law stipulated: “The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the dead be observed; it does not, however, forbid cremation unless it has been chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching” (No. 1176, 3).
More recently, the Church released new guidelines on the topic of cremation and stated that while the practice is permissible, a traditional Christian burial is preferable. “Following the most ancient Christian tradition, the Church insistently recommends that the bodies of the deceased be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places” (Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo, 3). The Church, however, raises no doctrinal objections to the practice since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect his or her soul. It is also sympathetic to those who choose this option for sanitary, economic or social reasons.
Prayers
While there’s nothing intrinsically wrong about cremation, the Church is insistent that ashes be placed in a sacred place so the deceased is not excluded from prayers. Thus, conservation of ashes in a domestic residence like a house is not permitted, nor is the sharing of ashes among family members.
Likewise, the Church is opposed to the scattering of ashes, namely because it suggests a belief in another religion or an association with atheism.
“In order that every appearance of pantheism, naturalism or nihilism be avoided, it is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry or other objects.”
In summary, while the Church doesn’t oppose the practice of cremation, it prefers a traditional bodily burial – and if the former option is chosen, the scattering or holding onto of ashes for sentimental reasons is not permitted.
