More Catholics choose cremation, but fewer understand Church teaching

A selection of urns are seen on display. While cremation is not prohibited unless it is chosen for reasons “contrary to Christian teaching,” the Catholic Church prefers that the body of a deceased person be buried in accord with church custom. Greg Tarczynski, Catholic News Service

In a recent survey conducted for the archdioceses of Newark, New York and Hartford, 71 percent of Catholics said they had no or only some knowledge on the Catholic church’s views on cremation in a Catholic funeral; this at a time when the use of cremation is growing significantly, both among the general population and Catholics.

The Catholic Church lifted the ban on cremation in 1963, and since that time the practice has been on a steady rise. A study by the Funeral and Memorialization Information Council found that, “Over a 20-year period, those who report being likely to choose cremation for a loved one has increased by more than 50 percent.” Fifty five percent of those surveyed said they were likely to choose cremation.

According to the most recent statistics from the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) “the cremation rate is increasing exponentially.” In the United States some 43.5 percent of all funerals involve cremation. In Texas, the figure is 35.6 percent and is expected to rise to 42.3 percent by 2017. CANA executive director Barbara Kermis said that 33 percent of Catholics choose cremation.

Given these statistics, there appears to be a need for Catholics to have a clearer understanding of the church’s views on this issue.

What is the Catholic Church’s stand on cremation? Simply stated, the church prefers a traditional burial of an intact body.

“The church prefers that the bodies of the Christian faithful who have died be buried in a sacred place, a blessed grave for example,” Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey said. “The reason for this first option is that the body is sacred. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at the incarnation took on a body—a human body—therefore sanctifying all human bodies.

“St. Paul also reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. It is through our bodies that we express ourselves in faith and service and it is in the body that we are recognized as God’s children. All of these reasons show sacredness of the body.”

The Code of Canon Law, Cannon 1176.3, says, “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.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church points to one of the “reasons contrary to Christian doctrine” that would bar cremation. The Catechism states in paragraph 2301 that, “The Church permits cremation, provided that it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.”

Cremation by itself is not a denial of the resurrection, as St. Augustine points out, “Perish the thought that the omnipotence of the Creator is unable, for the raising of our bodies and for the restoring of them to life, to recall all [their] parts, which were consumed by beasts or by fire, or which disintegrated into dust or ashes, or were melted away into a fluid, or were evaporated away in vapors.” (The City of God 22:20:1)

If not chosen for the wrong reasons, cremation is allowed by the church. But the church still requires that the sacred nature of the body, a creation of God, be honored. The “Order of Christian Funerals,” points out that, “… the body which lies in death naturally recalls the personal story of faith, the loving family bonds, the friendships, and the words and acts of kindness of the deceased person…
“The body of a deceased Catholic Christian is also the body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the Bread of Life. Thus, the Church’s reverence for the sacredness of the human body grows out of a reverence and concern both natural and supernatural for the human person. The body of the deceased brings forcefully to mind the Church’s conviction that the human body is in Christ a temple of the Holy Spirit and is destined for future glory at the resurrection of the dead.” (Order Of Christian Funerals, Appendix 2, “Cremation,” 411-412.)

“Honoring the body through Christian burial is an antidote to the desecration of the body that we see so often in our society today, Bishop Mulvey said. “The church does not prohibit cremation. There are certain circumstances that have made it possible for the church to allow cremation, but burial is still preferred. If a body is cremated, however, the same respect should be shown to the cremated remains as they are to the body, such as the cremated remains are to be buried in a sacred space; a blessed grave or mausoleum, some place where a person can be placed alongside his or her brothers and sisters in the faith. This is because we are the Body of Christ; we are a family of believers.”

According to the Pastoral Manual of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, the church expects that the body be present at the funeral Mass of a deceased. If cremation has been chosen, the body should be cremated only after the funeral Mass. Under extraordinary circumstances the cremated remains may be present at the funeral Mass.

“Having the body or cremated remains present during the Mass is a powerful sign that we await the final resurrection of the dead,” Bishop Mulvey said.

According to Kremis, only a third of the families that choose cremations bury the remains in a cemetery. Only 15 percent of Catholics, according to the survey done for the Newark, New York and Connecticut archdioceses, prefer cremated remains be buried in a grave, mausoleum or columbarium.

The practices of scattering the remains or keeping them in a home are not the reverent disposition that the Catholic Church requires. Still, 24 percent of Catholics surveyed prefer to have cremated remains scattered and six percent want to keep the remains in their homes.

“Cremated remains should always be honored and be kept intact. At times, Catholics hear of other people sending their ashes and spreading them on a property that person loved, being thrown out to sea, scattered on the ocean, etc. It may seem appealing to them in this lifetime, however, since we honor the body and we await the resurrection of the dead in bodily form as well, the ashes should remain intact and not strewn over different places,” Bishop Mulvey said. “Nor should they be kept at home on a person’s mantle. It is easy to have a plaque or some other memorabilia to remember the person, such as their picture. One reason that ashes should not be kept in the home or in other public places is the possibility of theft. Also the dishonoring of the body that is sacred in various ways.”

Kremis said that most funeral home directors are aware of the Catholic Church’s views on cremation and “meet with families to make arrangements in advance or at time of death and discuss all options, including preferred religious ceremony.”

Catholics should consult with their pastor before making a final decision on whether cremation is an option they wish to pursue in order that they fulfill the requirements of their faith in this important decision.

“I have always found that cemeteries are places where we can go and in a sense be with and honor our loved ones. In that place we are present with all those who now share in the communion of saints,” Bishop Mulvey said.