The Vatican on Tuesday published guidelines for Catholics who want to be cremated, saying their remains cannot be scattered, divvied up or kept at home but rather stored in a sacred, church-approved place.
The new instructions were released just in time for Halloween and “All Souls Day” on Nov. 2, when the faithful are supposed to pray for and remember the dead.
For most of its 2,000-year history, the Catholic Church only permitted burial, arguing that it best expressed the Christian hope in resurrection. But in 1963, the Vatican explicitly allowed cremation as long as it didn’t suggest a denial of faith about resurrection.
The new document from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith repeats that burial remains preferred, with officials calling cremation a “brutal destruction” of the body. But it lays out guidelines for conserving ashes for the increasing numbers of Catholics who choose cremation for economic, ecological or other reasons.
It said it was doing so to counter what it called “new ideas contrary to the church’s faith” that had emerged since 1963, including New Age-y ideas that death is a “fusion” with Mother Nature and the universe, or the “definitive liberation” from the prison of the body.
To set the faithful straight, the Vatican said ashes and bone fragments cannot be kept at home, since that would deprive the Christian community as a whole of remembering the dead. Rather, church authorities should designate a sacred place, such as a cemetery or church area, to hold them.
Only in extraordinary cases can a bishop allow ashes to be kept at home, it said. Vatican officials declined to say what circumstances would qualify, but presumably countries where Catholics are a persecuted minority and where Catholic churches and cemeteries have been ransacked would qualify.
The document said remains cannot be divided among family members or put in lockets or other mementos. Nor can the ashes be scattered in the air, land or sea since doing so would give the appearance of “pantheism, naturalism or nihilism,” the guidelines said.
It repeated church teaching that Catholics who choose to be cremated for reasons contrary to the Christian faith must be denied a Christian funeral.
The new instruction carries an Aug. 15 date and says Pope Francis approved it March 18.
The author of the text, Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, was asked at a Vatican briefing if Francis had any reservations about the text, particularly the refusal to let family members keep remains of their loved ones at home.
“The dead body isn’t the private property of relatives, but rather a son of God who is part of the people of God,” Mueller said. “We have to get over this individualistic thinking.”
While the new instruction insists that remains be kept together, Vatican officials said they are not about to go gather up the various body parts of saints that are scattered in churches around the world. The practice of divvying up saints’ bodies for veneration — a hand here, a thigh bone there — was a fad centuries ago but is no longer in favor.
“Going to all the countries that have a hand of someone would start a war among the faithful,” reasoned Monsignor Angel Rodriguez Luno, a Vatican theological adviser.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Catholics are garbage.
Andy: Sure some folks are no prizes. However, you labeling a religion with over a billion and a half folks is rude. Outside of the government, the Catholic Church is the biggest provider of services to the hungry, poor, elderly, sick etc. in the U.S..
Dear “Main Street”.
You are an idiot. The catholic church is the perpetrator of tens of millions of deaths under the guise of holy wars and other religious campaigns. They are also the most influential supporter of no birth control, which causes the destruction of families and individuals around the world who bear children they cannot support properly, contributing to poverty and ruined lives. Those are the “hungry, poor. elderly, sick etc.” that require society to support and to whom the church’s provided services are targeted. They cause the problem and then claim to provide the solution.
The billion and a half catholics are deserving of the labeling as superstitious garbage just as the Muslims are.
@ Chris: Are you in some type of 1840’s time warp? No institution is perfect. However, the Catholic Church is the second largest provider of charity in the U.S., only behind the government. You should reserve your outrage and intolerance for the middle east haters who are persecuting Christians and others.
They do a better job than all the other charities, even the government! They are often the first to arrive at disaster sites. History shows that human greed and sin were behind the atrocities not the church itself. Christ formed the Catholic Church at the Last Supper when he died for all of us-for our sins!. The Crusades were to destroy the Muslims who were trying to take over the world back then. You need to study the history of the Catholic Church. The Christians of non-Catholic religions better realize that ISIS is not only killing Catholics but Christians of all faiths.
The Pope is garbage! He just wants to “RENT” space to parishioners to store their loved ones ashes in. It’s a scam and he’s the artist.
Andrew, you just have proven you are a Hillary voter. Against faith beliefs is what she wants to destroy since she help build ISIS. To bad you are a foolish and ignorant person, but nevertheless may God bless you because you are in dire need.
Mr. Buckmichael, harsh words. Condemning a whole religion without a supporting argument is immature and reckless opening one self up for ridicule and disdain.
And, personally, I don`t think the church (ANY church) should have the so called right to tell anyone what to do with the ashes! It`s not their family! I`m quite certain if the Catholic church get their way, you will have to pay for the privilege of storing your ashes in their `special`place! Just cast mine to the four winds; let my spirit fly!
You can’t change midstream on what is and isn’t acceptable for cremation and burial requests in a Will. Many people who have gone before this rule are now in the sea, military are in the sea and cremation has previously been an acceptable means. It is like all Catholics are goig to Hell if they do’t eat fish on
Friday, one is not going to feel guilt because their parents made different decisions than what the rule changes at this point in life. This option was given because the cemeteries were so overrcrowded that there had to be another means of burial. I disagree with this policy and do not want to feel guilty because my parents are in the sea or a military man was buried at sea. This is a bad request of the Catholic church to ask people to do this .
What about comingling ashes?
That would be too much like sex!
It has always been suggested that ashes be interned in a columbarium, but what about those people who died in the twin towers whose ashes were pulverized into the debris? The Church will not be able to enforce this and as a manmade “law” the next pope may totally repeal it. As to Andy’s comment, I could say the same of him, but I will let God do what He does best…judge!
I always read we are spirits (Spirit is perfect) having a physical experience. The Spirit of God is what animates us, not the shell (physical body) which is just a temporary and imperfect vehicle. Our soul/spirit is perfect, not our body.
Our bodies are the lower(false self) not the higher self (true self) that we really are.
“Thou shalt worship the Lord in spirit” it is written!
DOES IT REALLY MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO THE PERSON THATS PASSED ON? ONLY THE FAMILY THAT MISSES ITS LOVED ONE.
So sorry to read this that pope Francis , the sea and the winds that carige the ashes it is against our god . Teaching I try to be a good catholic the ashes are going back to nature. My 2 sons are in the sea now what I did wrong as mother sad day for me .
Do not despair. True Catholics know that what you do with the goodness of your heart is ok with the Lord. The Almighty will not care how you dispose of ashes as long as it is done with dignity.