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| Vatican Bans Scattering of Ashes From Cremation | |
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| VATICAN CITY — Ashes to ashes is fine, the Vatican says, as long as you don’t spread them around. | VATICAN CITY — Ashes to ashes is fine, the Vatican says, as long as you don’t spread them around. |
| On Tuesday, the Vatican responded to what it called an “unstoppable increase” in cremation and set down new guidelines barring the scattering of ashes “in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way.” | On Tuesday, the Vatican responded to what it called an “unstoppable increase” in cremation and set down new guidelines barring the scattering of ashes “in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way.” |
| The Vatican decreed that the ashes of loved ones have no place in the home, and certainly not in jewelry. It urged that cremated remains be preserved in cemeteries or other approved sacred places. | The Vatican decreed that the ashes of loved ones have no place in the home, and certainly not in jewelry. It urged that cremated remains be preserved in cemeteries or other approved sacred places. |
| The instructions, which reiterate the Roman Catholic Church’s preference for burial over cremation, are in line with previous teachings. But local bishops’ conferences had requested doctrinal clarification because cremation has become increasingly popular and because there were “no specific canonical norms” for preserving ashes, according to Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which drafted the guidelines. | The instructions, which reiterate the Roman Catholic Church’s preference for burial over cremation, are in line with previous teachings. But local bishops’ conferences had requested doctrinal clarification because cremation has become increasingly popular and because there were “no specific canonical norms” for preserving ashes, according to Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller, the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which drafted the guidelines. |
| The new guidelines, which Pope Francis approved earlier this year, were released ahead of All Souls Day, which falls on Nov. 2 for Catholics, who are called to remember and pray for those who have died. | The new guidelines, which Pope Francis approved earlier this year, were released ahead of All Souls Day, which falls on Nov. 2 for Catholics, who are called to remember and pray for those who have died. |
| The church banned cremation for centuries, but began to allow the practice in 1963, as long as it is not done for reasons at odds with Christian doctrine. Burials are deeply embedded in Christian tradition, and in the United States and elsewhere many dioceses still run graveyards and cemeteries, though cremation and other alternatives are on the rise. | The church banned cremation for centuries, but began to allow the practice in 1963, as long as it is not done for reasons at odds with Christian doctrine. Burials are deeply embedded in Christian tradition, and in the United States and elsewhere many dioceses still run graveyards and cemeteries, though cremation and other alternatives are on the rise. |
| “We are facing a new challenge for the evangelization of death,” Cardinal Müller said at a news conference on Tuesday, discussing the centrality of death and resurrection for Christians. | “We are facing a new challenge for the evangelization of death,” Cardinal Müller said at a news conference on Tuesday, discussing the centrality of death and resurrection for Christians. |
| He emphasized that the church was reiterating the “doctrinal and pastoral reasons” for burial, which it “continues to insistently recommend.” | He emphasized that the church was reiterating the “doctrinal and pastoral reasons” for burial, which it “continues to insistently recommend.” |
| Cardinal Müller, who was previously the bishop of Regensburg, Germany, added: “We believe in the resurrection of the body, so burial is the normal form for the Christian faithful, especially Catholics, whom we are addressing with this document.” | Cardinal Müller, who was previously the bishop of Regensburg, Germany, added: “We believe in the resurrection of the body, so burial is the normal form for the Christian faithful, especially Catholics, whom we are addressing with this document.” |
| In that spirit, the document explains, the church cannot “condone attitudes or permit rites that involve erroneous ideas about death, such as considering death as the definitive annihilation of the person, or the moment of fusion with Mother Nature or the universe, or as a stage in the cycle of regeneration, or as the definitive liberation from the ‘prison’ of the body.” | In that spirit, the document explains, the church cannot “condone attitudes or permit rites that involve erroneous ideas about death, such as considering death as the definitive annihilation of the person, or the moment of fusion with Mother Nature or the universe, or as a stage in the cycle of regeneration, or as the definitive liberation from the ‘prison’ of the body.” |
| Beyond respect for the deceased, the document notes that burial in a cemetery “encourages family members and the whole Christian community to pray for and remember the dead, while at the same time fostering the veneration of martyrs and saints.” | Beyond respect for the deceased, the document notes that burial in a cemetery “encourages family members and the whole Christian community to pray for and remember the dead, while at the same time fostering the veneration of martyrs and saints.” |
| Burial prevents the forgetting of the loved one, as well as “unfitting or superstitious practices,” the document states. | Burial prevents the forgetting of the loved one, as well as “unfitting or superstitious practices,” the document states. |
| For that reason, the Vatican said that cremation urns should not be kept at home, save for “grave and exceptional cases dependent on cultural conditions of a localized nature.” | For that reason, the Vatican said that cremation urns should not be kept at home, save for “grave and exceptional cases dependent on cultural conditions of a localized nature.” |
| But as Cardinal Müller acknowledged, the increasing use of cremations seems inexorable, and parish priests have been struggling with issues like the handling of ashes on a regular basis. | But as Cardinal Müller acknowledged, the increasing use of cremations seems inexorable, and parish priests have been struggling with issues like the handling of ashes on a regular basis. |
| “I tell my parishioners that it’s not opportune to do so,” said the Rev. Roberto Salsa, a parish priest in the Piedmont town of Verbania in Italy, when asked about the practice of scattering ashes. | “I tell my parishioners that it’s not opportune to do so,” said the Rev. Roberto Salsa, a parish priest in the Piedmont town of Verbania in Italy, when asked about the practice of scattering ashes. |
| A deceased loved one, said Father Salsa, should be in a place “accessible to everyone, where they can be venerated,” so a cemetery is preferable to a home. And scattering ashes can be “misunderstood as a sort of religion of nature, while we believe in resurrection,” he said. “It’s important to insist on that.” | A deceased loved one, said Father Salsa, should be in a place “accessible to everyone, where they can be venerated,” so a cemetery is preferable to a home. And scattering ashes can be “misunderstood as a sort of religion of nature, while we believe in resurrection,” he said. “It’s important to insist on that.” |
| That said, he acknowledged that Italian law permits the scattering of ashes. | That said, he acknowledged that Italian law permits the scattering of ashes. |
| Legislation on cremation and preservation of the ashes varies among countries. In Italy, it is legal to spread ashes, according to the will of the deceased, with authorization and in areas that local authorities have approved for the purpose. | Legislation on cremation and preservation of the ashes varies among countries. In Italy, it is legal to spread ashes, according to the will of the deceased, with authorization and in areas that local authorities have approved for the purpose. |
| Cremation has become increasingly popular in Italy, where 21 percent of the deceased in 2015 had opted for it. But rules vary by region, and sometimes from town to town. Survivors may be allowed to bury urns inside cemeteries, keep them at home or scatter the ashes at sea or in private areas. | Cremation has become increasingly popular in Italy, where 21 percent of the deceased in 2015 had opted for it. But rules vary by region, and sometimes from town to town. Survivors may be allowed to bury urns inside cemeteries, keep them at home or scatter the ashes at sea or in private areas. |
| Other European countries are also rather liberal with the preservation of the ashes. In France, relatives are allowed to spread ashes, but not keep them at home. In Switzerland, human ashes can be transformed into diamonds, as in some parts of the United States. In America, legislation regarding the disposition of ashes varies by state, but many allow the scattering of ashes in parks or at sea, with various restrictions. | Other European countries are also rather liberal with the preservation of the ashes. In France, relatives are allowed to spread ashes, but not keep them at home. In Switzerland, human ashes can be transformed into diamonds, as in some parts of the United States. In America, legislation regarding the disposition of ashes varies by state, but many allow the scattering of ashes in parks or at sea, with various restrictions. |
| The Vatican document encourages the faithful to recall the significance of death and resurrection within the Christian tradition. | The Vatican document encourages the faithful to recall the significance of death and resurrection within the Christian tradition. |
| “The cadaver of a deceased person is not the private property of the family, but the deceased is the son of God, part of the body of Christ, of the people of God,” Cardinal Müller said. He added that public funerals — as well as the practice of burying people around churches, in cemeteries — expressed the spirit of communion. | “The cadaver of a deceased person is not the private property of the family, but the deceased is the son of God, part of the body of Christ, of the people of God,” Cardinal Müller said. He added that public funerals — as well as the practice of burying people around churches, in cemeteries — expressed the spirit of communion. |
| “We have to overcome the thought of being too individualistic,” he said, calling the family unit “part of the great family of Christ.” | “We have to overcome the thought of being too individualistic,” he said, calling the family unit “part of the great family of Christ.” |
| In cases in which families have already scattered the remains of loved ones and wish to make things right with the church, Cardinal Müller suggested that a “place of prayer and communion” be identified, within a church or a sacred place where the deceased could be commemorated. | In cases in which families have already scattered the remains of loved ones and wish to make things right with the church, Cardinal Müller suggested that a “place of prayer and communion” be identified, within a church or a sacred place where the deceased could be commemorated. |
| Cathy Caridi, a canon law expert in Rome, observed that “it’s kind of ironic that just now a funeral home has plastered all the billboards right near the Vatican’s south walls with ads offering to turn your loved one’s ashes into a diamond.” She said the new Vatican document did not so much depart from canon law as lay out “the church’s teachings more explicitly.” | Cathy Caridi, a canon law expert in Rome, observed that “it’s kind of ironic that just now a funeral home has plastered all the billboards right near the Vatican’s south walls with ads offering to turn your loved one’s ashes into a diamond.” She said the new Vatican document did not so much depart from canon law as lay out “the church’s teachings more explicitly.” |
| Joshua Slocum, the executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit group in South Burlington, Vt., that combats exploitative practices in the funeral industry, said cremations in the United States began steadily rising in the early 1960s. By some estimates, he said, they may have surpassed traditional burials. | Joshua Slocum, the executive director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit group in South Burlington, Vt., that combats exploitative practices in the funeral industry, said cremations in the United States began steadily rising in the early 1960s. By some estimates, he said, they may have surpassed traditional burials. |
| “The traditional idea of everyone in a family being buried in one cemetery plot in a hometown really belongs to a different era,” he said, attributing the change to the geographical mobility of Americans and to the high cost of burials. | “The traditional idea of everyone in a family being buried in one cemetery plot in a hometown really belongs to a different era,” he said, attributing the change to the geographical mobility of Americans and to the high cost of burials. |
| The trend is likely to continue, he said, given that more Americans are opting not to affiliate with organized religions. “Of those who choose cremation,” he said, “I think we’ll see more people choosing to keep ashes at home or scattering them rather than placing them in cemeteries.” | The trend is likely to continue, he said, given that more Americans are opting not to affiliate with organized religions. “Of those who choose cremation,” he said, “I think we’ll see more people choosing to keep ashes at home or scattering them rather than placing them in cemeteries.” |