Vatican relaxes rules regarding deceased person’s ashes and allows them to be kept outside a church or cemetery – Executive Summary

The Vatican has relaxed the rules regarding cremating a dead person’s ashes: According to an announcement on Tuesday from the Holy See, a small portion of ashes can now be kept in a private place, rather than in a church or cemetery.

In guidelines before 2016, the Vatican said ashes must be kept “in holy places,” meaning they cannot be in a home, divided among family members or scattered in the wind — a request to scatter them can be refused. Christian funeral..

However, the Vatican confirmed that these instructions remain in effect, but added that relatives can request that “a minimum of their relative’s ashes be kept in a place important to the history of the deceased person.”

Keeping ashes in a sacred place “ensures that they are not excluded from the prayer and remembrance of their family or the Christian community” and prevents the deceased “from being forgotten or their remains being disrespected,” the office said. .

The Catholic Church has a difficult relationship with cremation. For centuries, the practice was banned because it conflicted with teachings regarding the resurrection of the body on the Day of Judgment at the end of the world. The ban was lifted in 1963, but the Church still rejects it.