LIFE MATTERS MEDIA STAFF

The Vatican has clarified guidance for Roman Catholics wishing to be cremated.

According to the Church, remains should not be scattered nor kept at home but rather stored in a sacred, church-approved place, The Associated Press reports. The new guidelines were released in time for Halloween and “All Souls Day” on Nov. 2, when the faithful are supposed to pray for and remember the dead.

For most of its 2,000-year history, the Church only permitted burial, arguing that it best expresses the Christian hope in resurrection of the body. In 1963, the Vatican allowed cremation so long as it didn’t suggest a denial of faith in the resurrection.

“Following the most ancient Christian tradition, the Church insistently recommends that the bodies of the deceased be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places,” according to a statement released by the Vatican.

“The Church continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased. Nevertheless, cremation is not prohibited, ‘unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.’ ”

Cremation has become more common in recent years, partly because it costs less than burial and can be more environmentally friendly. According to the Cremation Association of North America, more than half of all people who died last year in the U.S. were cremated, up from about a quarter in 2000.

– Image courtesy WikiMedia Commons: Tomb of Innocentius XI in the Chapel of St. Sebastian of Saint Peter’s Basilica