Okay given for cremated remains at funeral Masses

The Vatican has given each U.S. bishop the right to decide whether to allow the presence of cremated remains at funeral liturgies in his diocese.

In a recent letter to the priests of the Albany Diocese, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard said, "It is my intention to grant implementation of this indult as soon as the liturgical guidelines are approved by Rome."

The bishops had asked for permission at their general meeting last June in order to adapt to the increasingly common use of cremation in this country. According to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB), cremation is used in 20 percent of all funerals in the United States.

Currently, the Church allows for the cremation of the body of the deceased after the funeral liturgy. The new indult allows bishops to grant permission, on a case-by-case basis, to allow the cremated remains to be present during the funeral liturgy.

According to the Vatican's Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, "Ordinaries [bishops who head dioceses] are authorized in the individual cases which are brought to their attention to permit that the general liturgy, including where appropriate the celebration of the Eucharist, be celebrated in the presence of the cremated remains instead of the natural body."

An example of a case that might necessitate the presence of the cremated remains rather than the body could be if a person dies in a far-away location, said Richard Touchette, director of the Diocesan Cemetery Office.

The booklet, "Reflection on the Body, Cremation and Catholic Funeral Rites," published by the NCCB, states, "Economic, geographic, ecological, or family factors on occasion make the cremation of a body [before the funeral] the only feasible choice."

As with any funeral, maintaining the dignity of the person who has died is of the utmost importance, the booklet states.

"Human bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, destined for future glory at the resurrection of the dead," the bishops write in the booklet. "Indeed, the body is the `primordial sacrament' that makes the life and love of God present in the world. Thus, the Church's reverence and care for the body grows out of a reverence and concern for the person whom the Church now commends to the care of God."

The cremated remains must still be treated with the same respect given to a body, the bishops said, including "the manner in which they are carried, the care and attention to appropriate placement and transport, and their final disposition. The cremated remains of a body should be entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium; they may also be buried in a common grave in a cemetery."

Cremated remains may not be scattered on the sea or ground, or kept in the home of a relative or friend.

Cremation for Catholics is a fairly new development. Canon 1203 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law forbade cremation, a prohibition that continued until 1963, when cremation was allowed.

The 1983 Code of Canon Law states, "The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the dead be observed; it does not, however, forbid cremation unless it has been chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching."

Although cremation is allowed, the Church still prefers the presence of the body at funerals. "The Catholic Church strongly prefers that the body of the deceased be present for its funeral rites since the presence of the body most clearly brings to mind the life and death of the person," the booklet states. "Therefore, the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy recommends that cremation take place following the general liturgy."

(06-19-97) [[In-content Ad]]