This week is part two of my summary and commentary on the Instruction of Pope Francis regarding burial of deceased Catholics or conservation of ashes in cases of cremation.

While the Church has no doctrinal objections to the practice of cremation and recognizes that people make this choice because of sanitary, economic, or social considerations (paragraph 4), the Pope reaffirms that the Church continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased. It does say that cremation is not prohibited, "unless it is chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine." (Paragraph 4)

It seems clear at the end of this paragraph that the Church assumes that a funeral rite with the body present will take place before the cremation happens.  I quote: "In the absence of motives contrary to Christian doctrine, the Church, after the celebration of the funeral rite, accompanies the choice of cremation, providing the relevant liturgical and pastoral directives, and taking care to avoid every form of scandal or the apperance of religious indifferentism." (paragraph 4)

In addition to the reality that some of the prayers of the funeral rite suppose that the body of the deceased is present, and the Church has rites including the draping of the casket with a white funeral pall as a visible reminder of when the deceased first came to church or their parents brought them to church for their baptism, having the body present for the funeral rites also allows for the family to grieve the loss of this person from the world in the way that they existed in this world, their body.  Funeral homes will "rent" a casket for the funeral rites and after the funeral is over, the body is sent for cremation and the interment of the cremains in a Columbarium or in the ground happens a few days later.

More about what is permitted and forbidden when it comes to the ashes of the person after cremation will be explained in the next pastor's column.