Do catholic believe in cremation

Answer 1

The tradition of the Catholic Church has been staunchly against cremation except in emergencies. These emergencies included when infectious disease is a threat or when a disaster strikes with such loss of life as to make burial impractical due to time constraints on maintaining the bodies.

The Church followed the Jewish custom of burying the dead, as Jesus Christ was buried in the tomb. Also, burying bodies was a symbol of belief in the bodily resurrection and a reflection upon the parable of the seed that once dead would spring forth and bear much fruit. It was a very Christian idea.

Further, the Church abhorred cremation because of its use by the pagans in the early centuries. Pagans also taunted Christians by burning them, deliberately for torture, but also to mock the resurrection, since they figured once burnt and scattered to the wind, even a god could not restore them, making his promises empty.

In response, however, to the spirit of Vatican II which sought to align the Church with the modern world and popular acceptance, cremation was reexamined and in the Code of Canon law of 1983 it was decided that,

The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burial be retained; but it does not forbid cremation, unless this is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching." (The Code of Canon Law, 1985, #1176.3 Interpretation of this canon has led to cremation being a choice for Catholics provided that they understand the Church's wishes and they have a viable reason. It has become quite liberal in its application, so much so that even a family or surviving spouse may decide to cremate the remains of a loved one if the loved one did not leave a testament stating a specific burial wish. Cremated remains, if the priest grants there was sufficient reason, receive full burial rites of the Church. The remains are to be buried in a Catholic cemetery either above or below consecrated ground. Contrary to modern practices, the remains may not be scattered, nor may a portion be removed to serve as a token of the deceased.

Reasons for cremation that have been deemed acceptable include:

-desire to transport the remains over great distances

-psychological distress at witnessing a burial (this is for the grieving, not the deceased, obviously)

-expense

-local/nation custom

Traditionalist bodies within the Church refuse to follow these directives stating that they are done in a novel spirit, sacrificing Church tradition for convenience and are contemptible for the ease which they are applied. They refuse to bury cremated remains with the burial rites of the Church and continue to teach contrary to cremation in their congregational churches.

Answer 2

The Catholic Church does not recommend cremation. It prefers that people be buried. In fact, only recently was cremation allowed at all. It was not allowed before because people used it to deny the Resurrection. Now, the law is that a person can be cremated if it is not done to deny the Resurrection, but the ALL of the ashes MUST be buried afterwards.