It is indeed curious that cremation remains such a confusing issue for Catholics. I am afraid the issue will continue to be even in spite of the most recent statement regarding the Church’s teaching and practice relative to this subject.
Just yesterday, Tuesday October 25, 2016, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published a new instruction on the burial of the dead and conservation of the ashes in cases of cremation. The Holy Father approved these norms in March of this year.
In 1963, the Church formally rescinded its longstanding prohibition which forbade Catholics from choosing cremation. The lifting of this ban would later be reflected in the 1983 Code of Canon Law which states: “The Church earnestly recommends the pious custom of burying the bodies of the dead be observed; yet it does not, however, forbid cremation unless such has been chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching.”
Early on in the history of Christianity, cremation was viewed as a pagan custom contrary to the Church’s belief in the resurrection of the body. In our day, cremation continues to be forbidden by the Church, if the person choosing it does so as a denial of the resurrection and immortality of the soul.
Even though the Church permits cremation, it recommends that the body be cremated after the celebration of the Funeral Mass. The Church’s ancient belief in the sacredness of human life and the resurrection of the body is at the heart of the desire to see to it that the funeral rituals are celebrated with the body present.
Still, the Church is aware that there are many circumstances and personal preferences which do not make it possible for the body to be present at the Funeral Mass. In these cases, it is permissable for the Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated with the cremains (ashes) present in the church. Since it is the cremains and not the body of the deceased that are present, there are special norms which are to be observed in the celebration of the funeral liturgy.
Since 1963, certain practices seem to have been introduced in the way Catholics treat the cremains following the Funeral Mass. This latest instruction appears to be the Church's answer to these unacceptable practices.
The Church insists that the cremains be treated with respect in the way they are handled and transported until their final disposition. Apparently, there has been a growing trend of either keeping the ashes in the home of a family member or friend, dividing them among members of the family, or scattering of the ashes to the wind.
This most recent instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith explicitly forbids such practices.
The instruction states: “... the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence is not permitted. Only in grave and exceptional cases dependent on cultural conditions of a localized nature, may the Ordinary, in agreement with the Episcopal Conference or the Synod of Bishops of the Oriental Churches, concede permission for the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence. Nonetheless, the ashes may not be divided among various family members and due respect must be maintained regarding the circumstances of such a conservation.”
I believe this part of the instruction will prove a bit problematic for the Church as Catholics subject to the discretion of Episcopal Conferences will be able to retain ashes in the home and still celebrate the Funeral Mass, while others under the jurisdiction of other Conferences will be denied the funeral liturgy for wanting to do the same thing.
I 'm afraid the Church will appear to be acting arbitrarily at a time when individual members of the faithful are experiencing the sadness and trauma of the death of a loved one. I cannot even imagine how the Church and its teachings will be honored and respected if those who mourn feel they are being treated harshly at such a painful moment.
Furthermore, the instruction states: “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.”
The instruction concludes: “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."
In my opinion, the denial of the Funeral Mass for whatever reason to a grieving family is a horrible solution which the Congregation has decided to impose.
Would it not have been preferable for the Congregation to suggest that, at an appropriate time following the Funeral Mass, the Pastor speak with the family and, gently and compassionately, urge them to memorialize their loved one by interring the ashes in a suitable grave? Could this not be a teaching moment by which the Church could calmly and sympathetically instruct the family on the beauty of the dogma of the resurrection of the dead?
Certainly, the desire of the Church to affirm the teaching of the dignity of the human person and the resurrection of the body is to be commended. However, I believe the solution the Congregation has imposed suggests and the penalty it recommends is both misguided and terribly insensitive.
One can only hope that the Episcopal Conferences around the world will see the error of this solution and choose a course of action which is sensitive to those Catholics who mourn the loss of their beloved dead.
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