Catholic Burial Problems, Old and New

In March 2023 the USCCB Committee on Doctrine responded to a question that has been popping up here and there about two new ways of treating human remains. One of these ways, alkaline hydrolysis, dissolves the flesh and flushes the liquid residue down the sewer, allowing bones to be pulverized as with cremation. The other, composting results in a cubic yard of dirt that bears no resemblance to a body, so there is nothing to bury. Neither alkaline hydrolysis nor composting respect the body in the way called for by the Catholic faith, according to the bishops. More and more states may legalize these practices – often touted as “green” – but Catholics should not take part in them.
 
These bishops are not the first to offer guidance on what the Catholic faith teaches regarding burial practices. I recently stumbled across something Pope Boniface VIII taught in 1299: Catholics should not dismember the bodies of their beloved departed and boil them in a pot. He repeats himself in 1300 and 1303, so you know he wasn’t kidding.
 
Now, you might wonder why he had to say that.
 
Here’s what was happening. When someone from the noble class died far from home, there were some practical difficulties in transporting the non-refrigerated, non-embalmed body long distances. To solve the transportation question, sometimes the noble’s traveling companions would boil him up, and since they didn’t have a pot big enough, they had to cut him up first. Often, the heart would be placed in a special jar that might be buried one place, say, a favorite shrine; the boiled flesh might be buried near the place of death; and the bones would be taken to be buried near family. This happened often enough that the Pope had to condemn the practice. His proposed solution to the practical problem? Bury the body nearby the place of death. After a year or so, recover the bones and move them to the desired location.
 
It seems that the recent bishops’ teaching on alkaline hydrolysis and composting is in line with Pope Boniface’s from 724 years ago. Both proceed from an understanding of the dignity of the body that God has given us, the body that God has washed in baptism, the body that will one day be raised. And Pope Boniface condemned not only the specific practice of dismembering and boiling, but also “any other practice resembling it.” I’m sure he would have included alkaline hydrolysis in his condemnation if he knew about it.
 
What should Catholics choose at the end of this life? In imitation of Christ, burial is the Church’s recommendation. The image of the seed is used in Scripture to talk about the body, and of the many options available, only burial conforms to this image. Consider Jesus’ saying, “unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). Or Saint Paul, when he says, “But some one will ask, ‘How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?’… What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And what you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain… So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable” (1 Cor 15:35ff).
 
Amidst the farmlands of Wisconsin, we know that a seed is sown with great care and expectation of new life. Likewise with burial, the body is laid to rest in the hope of eternal life.
 
These days, our family is unlikely to cut our body up and boil it in a pot after we die. But they might consider composting you if you don’t make your wishes known. If you want to make it easy for your family to follow your wishes, make your plans now, and pay for them.
 
And let your family know. It can be short and sweet: “Please give me a Catholic funeral and burial in a Catholic cemetery.” Or you can add however much detail you want: I would like Adoro te devote sung at my funeral. I even like the somewhat tortured English translation of Aquinas’ great hymn. Many parishes will keep your funeral plans on file for you, so talk to your pastor about that. And buy a grave or two ahead of time. When you do, let your family know where.

This article first appeared in the Madison Catholic Herald on May 25, 2023 under the title, "Catholic Burial Problems, Old and New."