HANDS OFF OUR HEADSTONES!
Dear Editor, On the instructions of Pope Frances earlier this year, the Vatican announced that ‘Catholics may be cremated but should not have their ashes scattered at sea or kept in urns at home.’ Instead ‘ the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases in a church or in an area that has been set aside for the purpose.’
The right to take custody of human ashes remains with the executor or whoever is in charge of organizing the deceased’s funeral and it is up to them and not the pope to decide how the ashes are disposed of. The Vatican is responsible for Canon Law only and not the Law of the Land.
Having just about digested this nonsense from the Vatican, along comes Wicklow County Council’s new ruling on headstones in the county’s cemeteries. Without any discussion or agreement whatsoever with the local population, the Council decided that headstones can no longer be placed at the head of a grave but must now be placed at the foot instead. This ridiculous decision has not only upset the vast majority of the local population, but has also traumatized the recently bereaved.
Instead of sitting around a table drawing up ludicrous plans that nobody wants, perhaps Wicklow County Council could put its time to better use. For a start it could employ more ground staff at Rathnew Cemetery to cut back the long grass and empty the continually overflowing waste bins. One man working alone cannot be expected to carry out all the duties required in this large burial ground.
In addition, the installation of metal stands and watering cans would dramatically reduce the amount of waste material hidden in trees which only adds to the refuse problem in inclement weather. As there are no watering cans in the cemetery, plastic milk bottles etc are stored in the branches by relatives for carrying water from the faucets to the graves of their loved ones. One final note to Wicklow Co. Council- Hands off our headstones, leave our customs and Century-old traditions alone. Adrienne Cullen-Mor
gan M.A. 5c Heatherbrook, Marlton Road,
Wicklow