Updated Regulations for Proper Christian Burial

Abridged from a Letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
22 December 2021

In light of the development and spread of new techniques for treating the bodies of the deceased as alternative practices to cremation because they are more ecological, rapid, hygienically safe, and respectful of the environment, since the residues of the treatment would fertilize the soil, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith has offered a clarification on proper Christian Burial. The Prefect, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, S.J., points out that such techniques tend “to eliminate any trace of a sense of the sacred and of effective pity for the mortal remains of the deceased.” He points out the following:

• The Church insistently recommends the burial of the bodies of the dead in cemeteries and other sacred places.

• Cremation, chosen for reasons not contrary to Christian doctrine, is not forbidden, but the ashes of the dead must be ‘kept in a sacred place.’

• This choice must not violate the explicitly-stated or inferable wishes of the deceased.

• The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice since cremation does not affect the person’s soul and does not prevent God from raising the body to new life.

• The ashes must be laid to rest in a sacred place, i.e., in a cemetery or in a church or an area which has been set aside for this purpose and dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority.

• The reservation of the ashes in a sacred place ensures that they are not excluded from the prayers and remembrance of their family or the Christian community. It prevents the departed from being forgotten, or their remains being disrespected. It also prevents any unfitting or superstitious practices.

• To avoid any kind of pantheistic, naturalistic, or nihilist misunderstanding, the dispersion of ashes in the air, on earth, or in water or in any other kind of way is not permitted.

• In the cases of new techniques for treating corpses, the same criteria mentioned above are to be applied; what remains after the treatment must be ‘kept in a sacred place’ intended for burial and not simply in a place blessed by the clergy.

• If in the implementation of a new technique there was nothing left of the body, such a practice would not be acceptable from the viewpoint of Catholic doctrine.