May a Catholic be cremated?
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been granted an indult from the Holy See allowing for the presence of the cremated remains of a body at the Funeral Liturgy.
While it is now permissible for a funeral liturgy to be celebrated in the presence of the cremated remains, the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy does state that it is preferable that cremation take place following the funeral liturgy. It is the body of the deceased that "most clearly brings to mind the life and death of the person." However, when circumstances prevent the presence of the body at the funeral liturgy, the committee believes that it is appropriate that the cremated remains of the body be present for the full course of the funeral rites, including the Vigil for the Deceased, the Funeral Liturgy, and the Rite of Committal.
An appendix to the Order of Christian Funerals contains the necessary adaptations when the funeral liturgy is celebrated in the presence of the cremated remains and may be obtained from The Liturgical Press.
For more information, please consult the following:
| Catechesis on Cremation |
| Cremation and Corporeal Burial |
| Reflections on the Body, Cremation, and Catholic Funeral Rites (a publication of the USCCB) |
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