In Rome, the Vatican’s leading doctrinal expert,
Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith (CDF), accepted that cremations are increasingly popular.
However, he insisted that the ashes of loved ones
must be kept “in a holy place, that is a cemetery or a church or in a
place that has been specifically dedicated to this purpose”.
“The conservation of ashes in the home is not
allowed. Furthermore, in order to avoid any form of pantheistic or
naturalistic or nihilistic misunderstanding, the dispersion of ashes in
the air, on the ground, on water or in some other way as well as the
conversion of cremated ashes into commemorative objects is not allowed,”
he said.
Voicing the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year preference
for burials, the German cardinal went on: “We come from the earth and we
shall return to the earth. In memory of the death, burial and
resurrection of the Lord, burial is the most appropriate way to express
our faith and hope in bodily resurrection.”
Division of ashes
In Ireland, the Catholic Communications Office said
the Vatican’s directive is “not a set of discretionary guidelines” and
practices such as the division of ashes among family members or their
preservation in pieces of jewellery are prohibited.
The regulations, it said, will not mean that ashes
will have to be stored in church buildings, but it may require the
establishment of a columbarium – a type of tomb for ashes in cemeteries
owned by Catholic parishes.
However, Pádraig O’Reilly, the manager of Lakelands
Crematorium in Cavan, said he believed Church figures were “wasting
their time” by trying to impose the new directive since it is “a family
decision”.
“If they don’t have a burial plot, it’s an extra
financial burden on the family,” he said. Half of all cremated remains
are scattered in a favoured place, or buried in family plots. People
from rural Ireland are more likely to bury ashes than to scatter them.
“We’ve had some ashes scattered with what’s called a
flotation cushion,” he said. “If it’s a fisherman’s favourite lake or
something, the ashes go into this special dissolvable cushion, which
floats out onto the lake before it gradually sinks.
“We’ve had others put ashes into a glass paperweight,
and then jewellery is very popular. Small pieces are kept for necklaces
and things like that,” he said, adding that ashes are sometimes split
up and scattered in a number of places.
Irish Association of Funeral Directors spokesman Colm
Kieran said cremations make up about 15-30 per cent of funerals in
urban areas, while this figure rises to 40-50 per cent in the more
expensive parts of Co Dublin. In country areas, however, the number
falls to 10-15 per cent.
“What that is driven by is cost,” he said. “With the
cost of burial plots in urban areas, it’s much more cost-effective for
people to go down the route of cremation. People also have to deal with
the costs of grave-digging and a headstone, which are considerable.”
Mr Kieran said there were many practices for the
disposal of ashes. “It might be a place where someone met their partner.
In some cases, the ashes are divided up and given to different family
members with keepsake jewellery.”
Frank Murphy, manager of the Island Crematorium in Co
Cork, said about 60 per cent of people buy wooden caskets, “which would
suggest burial”. He added: “Some people keep them at home until their
partner dies and then the two are buried together.”
Glasnevin Cemetery said 85 per cent of the ashes from
its crematorium are privately disposed of, compared with 13 per cent
which are located in the Columbarium Walls, while 1-2 per cent choose to
avail of the plots in the Garden of Remembrance.