What Does the Catholic Church Say About Cremation?
The Bible passage "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" means that people came from ashes and shall return to ashes upon death. The rotting away of the body until it consists solely of ashes can take hundreds of years. However, sometimes individuals choose to be cremated after death instead of buried in the ground or put in a mausoleum. This practice is allowed by the Catholic Church, but there are stipulations.
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Features
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The teachings of Jesus are the foundation of the Catholic Church. According to the Church, after death the soul leaves the body. The soul goes to either heaven or hell, but the physical body remains on earth. The body is buried and disintegrates over time. However, it is believed that souls will be reunited with their physical bodies when we reach the end of time.
Function
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Cremation involves burning a body after death. The body is put in a casket or wooden container and burned in a furnace at a crematorium. The ashes that result from this are put into a jar called an urn. Loved ones of the deceased can choose to put the urn in their homes or bring it to a cemetery to be kept on a shelf. In some instances, the deceased may have requested for the ashes to be dispersed in a special part of the natural world, such as an ocean, ballpark or garden.
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History
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The Catholic Church views the body as a holy temple. It is believed that all people were created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, the burning of a body after death was once seen as a desecration of God's work. The Church also believed that cremation represented a denial of the belief in resurrection. As the Church evolved, burials and entombment continued to be stressed but cremation was permitted.
Significance
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The acceptance of cremation by the Catholic Church had contingencies. The body was initially required to be present at the Mass before cremation. The Church now allows the body to be cremated prior to the last Mass. The ashes can be present at the Mass if put in an urn and approved by a bishop. However, the Church requires that ashes are either buried or put in an urn and frowns upon the scattering of ashes or keeping an urn in one's home.
Considerations
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Cremation can be less expensive than a traditional burial if it occurs within 48 hours of death. This is referred to as an immediate cremation. The use of a funeral home is not required since there is no wake before burial. However, the Catholic Church discourages immediate cremation because it prohibits friends and family members of the deceased from engaging in the grieving process. It is believed that the life of the deceased should be remembered in the presence of the body. Immediate cremation does not allow mourners sufficient time to cope with the loss of a loved one.
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Resources
- Photo Credit www.cemeteries.org
