Don’t scatter ashes or keep them at home – Vatican

Ahead of the celebration of All Souls’ Day next week, the Vatican yesterday issued new guidelines on cremation that say ashes of the dead should be buried in cemeteries and other sacred places.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith reiterated that the Church does not oppose cremation, but it insisted on the “long-held view” that ashes of the deceased should be buried properly,

not kept in private homes or scattered on land and sea.

“By burying the bodies of the faithful, the Church confirms her faith in the resurrection of the body, and intends to show the great dignity of the human body as an integral part of the human person whose body forms part of their identity,” the instruction read.

“The reservation of the ashes of the departed in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community,” it added.

The congregation noted that burial prevents the departed “from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect, which eventuality is possible, most especially once the immediately subsequent generation has too passed away.”

It also noted that burial “prevents any unfitting or superstitious practices” because burial in cemeteries or other sacred places “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.”

The congregation deemed it necessary to issue new guidelines because of the significant increase in the practice of cremation in many countries.

The congregation came up with the new instruction after consulting the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and numerous Episcopal Conferences and Synods of Bishops of the Oriental Churches.

An executive of one of the largest columbariums in the country sees no immediate change in the outlook of Filipinos on keeping the ashes of their loved ones at home, even with the guidelines from Vatican.

Eugene Cheng, vice-president of the Sanctuarium, said a majority of Filipinos still adhere to the practicality of keeping urns at home as vaults could cost in the tens of thousands of pesos.

“It is really more on the economical that controls the sensibility of the Filipinos, even though they would want to follow the Vatican guidelines,” he said.

But Cheng said the guidelines from Vatican strengthened their stand on keeping the ashes in consecrated places like columbariums or burial grounds. They have been discouraging their clients from keeping the urns at home and instead memorialize them at consecrated places.

Meanwhile, the media office of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has revived its Undas Online project, which allows Filipinos abroad to offer a mass for their dead.

“For those who cannot make it to your parishes, especially Filipinos in other countries or the seafarers, you may request for masses to be celebrated for your beloved dead,” said Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, CBCP Media Office director.

The online mass can be accessed by visiting the website www.undasonline.com and click on the “Prayer Request” button.

The names of the dead for whom the mass is being offered can be listed down through the website. Masses will be held at the CBCP chapel in Intramuros, Manila starting Nov. 1.–