Burial? Cremation?  What does the Church Teach?

Many know that in 1963 the Church relaxed its canonical law against cremation, allowing a more universal exception to the prohibition.  It permitted cremation to be chosen for reasons of health, economic, or others reasons involving private or public order, as long as it was not chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine. [See Piam et Constantem]  Many may not know, however, that in allowing cremation the Church also stated that “all necessary measures must be taken to preserve the practice of reverently burying the faithful departed,” and that the Church called on the Bishops to persuade the faithful to refrain from cremation except when forced to do so by necessity.  [Piam et Constantem # 1] 

The teaching was later incorporated into the 1983 Code of Canon Law, as follows:  

“The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.” [Canon 1176 sec 3]

In 1997, the Church approved texts and ritual adaptations to the Funeral Rite which allowed the funeral liturgy to take place in the presence of the cremated remains of a body.  In the instruction to these adaptations, however, the Church continued to uphold its preference for burial, writing as follows:    

“Although cremation is now permitted by the Church, it does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body.  The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in those rites.”  [Order of Christian Funerals (hereafter OCF) #413]

Although the new adaptation allows for a funeral in the presence of cremated remains, the instruction makes a point to say that when the choice has been made to cremate a body, it is still the Church’s preference that the cremation take place after the Funeral Liturgy.  [OCF 418].     

Recently, in 2016, a new Vatican Instruction on the topic of cremation was released called Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo.   In it, the Church underlined the doctrinal and pastoral reasons for the preference of the burial of the body of the faithful and set out norms regarding the conservation of ashes in the case of cremation.   

In Ad Resurgendum, the Church summarizes from the 1963 document saying that cremation may be permitted because of sanitary, economic or social considerations and says that she

“raises no doctrinal objections to this practice, since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life.  Thus cremation, in and of itself, objectively negates neither the Christian doctrine of the soul’s immortality nor that of the resurrection of the body.  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 4] 

The new instruction, however, also repeats again that the Church “continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem toward the deceased.’” [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo #4] 

History

From as early as we can tell, the Church did not approve of cremation which, however, was widely practiced by various pagan groups.  These pagan groups often denied the resurrection and held dualistic notions of the body and soul, considering the body to be worthless or evil and not an integral part of a person’s identity.  In their view, the body held no positive value and therefore could be burned as a kind of refuse or trash.  Annihilation of the body by cremation was considered by the Church to be contrary to the Christian view of the dignity of the human body and the belief in the bodily resurrection. 

This prohibition of cremation was strongly affirmed again by the Church in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries as atheistic groups sought to use cremation to undermine belief in the resurrection.  Nevertheless, exceptions to the prohibition were always allowed in cases of necessity, for instance for health reasons during an epidemic.      

From ancient times, Christians buried the bodies of the faithful departed with great reverence, often in catacombs and other cemeteries which were considered sacred places.  They became places of prayer where the church would gather to pray for the deceased and honor the lives and bodies of the martyrs, the saints, and the faithful departed.    

Reasons for the Church’s preference of burial of the body

• In memory and imitation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Lord.  The Lord’s body was reverently taken down from the cross, anointed with oils, and laid in a tomb.  For this reason, “burial is above all the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body.”  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 3]
• Burial shows the great dignity of the human body as an integral part of the person whose body forms part of their identity.  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 3]  The respect shown the body in burial teaches and reinforces the Church’s belief in the bodily resurrection.    
• Burial in a sacred place corresponds to the piety and respect owed to the bodes of the faithful departed who through Baptism have become temples of the Holy Spirit.  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 3] 
• Cremation can be associated with (or lead to) false notions about the body and about death, “such as considering death as the definitive annihilation of the person, or the moment of fusion with Mother Nature or the universe, or as a stage in the cycle of regeneration, or as the definitive liberation from the ‘prison’ of the body.” [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 3]
• Burial in a sacred place, allows the deceased to become objects of the Christian community’s prayers, remembrance and reflection.  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 5]. 
• The Church so esteems burial that it has long considered the burial of the dead as one of the corporal works of mercy. 

• If cremation is chosen because of sanitary, economic or social consideration, “this choice must never violate the explicitly stated or the reasonably inferable wishes of the deceased faithful.”  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 4]
• The cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given the human body from which they come.  This includes use of a worthy vessel to contain the ashes.  [OCF # 417]
• “The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium” [OCF # 417]. 
  • “When for legitimate motives, cremation has been chosen, the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery, or in certain cases, in a church, or an area, which has been set aside for this purpose, and so dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority.” [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 5]
• “[T]he conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence [a private home] is not permitted.” [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 5] 
• “The reservation of the ashes in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community.” [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 5]  The faithful departed do not just belong to a particular family but are members of the body of Christ the Church, and so, it is fitting that they be conserved in a public place. 
• The reservation of the ashes in a sacred place also “prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect, which eventuality is possible, most especially once the immediately subsequent generation has [also] passed away.”  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 5]
  • This sad eventuality of cremains being forgotten or disrespected when conserved in a private home is often depicted in movies for cheap comic relief:  cremains mistaken as coffee, or knocked over and swept under a rug, or in one case used by a cat as kitty-litter.  All of these fictional accounts highlight the real potential for disrespect that the lack of a final, sacred resting place poses for the bodies of the deceased. 
• Cremated remains may “never be divided among various family members.” [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 6]
• The Church does not permit the Scattering of Ashes nor may they be preserved in pieces of jewelry or other objects. 
  • “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.  These courses of action cannot be legitimized by an appeal to the sanitary, social or economic motives that may have occasioned the choice of cremation.”  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 7]
• “When the deceased notoriously has requested cremation and the scattering of their ashes for reasons contrary to the Christian faith, a Christian funeral must be denied to that person according to the norms of the law.”  [Ad Resurgendum Cum Christo # 8]     

Conclusion

While the Church has in recent decades allowed for cremation to be chosen for sanitary, economic or other social reasons, she strongly continues to prefer the burial of the body of the deceased as the most fitting way to express and reinforce the belief in the dignity of the human body as a temple of the Holy Spirit and in the bodily resurrection.  In cases where cremation is chosen, the remains should be treated with the same respect given the human body from which they come.  This respect requires that the entire remains be laid to rest in a sacred place, buried in a grave, or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium.  The remains may not be divided up, reserved in a private residence, or used to make jewelry or other keep sakes.  The church also strictly prohibits the scattering of ashes, for any motive whatsoever. 

May the Church’s teaching on this topic assist us in caring and praying well for our deceased brothers and sisters and in proclaiming and passing on the Good News of the Gospel for the greater glory of God.