The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-02-18
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DOCTRINAL.. 55Rg TlTURGICAL.


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the martyrs and confessors and the
faithful of every degree and condition.
1t is attested by the cathedrals, and
churches and cloisters of later ages
under whose shadow were gathered
and are gathered today the children
whom she ministered to during life.
Their bodies she had received into
communion with her in holy baptism
and she had confirmed them with the
chrism of salvation; she had fed them
with the true bread of life, which came
down from heaven; their every sense
she had Amounted on the threshold of
eternity, and she would fain clasp
them to her bosom as the bereaved
mother does the lifeless body of the
child she has brought into the world
and clothed and nourished and
watched over and prayed for to the
end And as the mothers love ex-
tends beyond the grave so the Church
gathers the faithful about her in the
cemeteries and throws the mantle of
her sanctifying protection over their
tombs.
Except for a declaration of Boni-
face VII, in the last year of the 18th
century, the legislation of the Church
forbidding the incineration of bodies
has all been of recent years. The
following is summary Of DEGREES of
the Sacred Office regarding cremation
of the human body: % Catholics
are forbidden to be members of any
organization that prescribes the Gre
nation of it's members bodies. ~ A
Catholic is forbidden to order his
body or the body of any one to be
cremated. 90 The last sacraments
are to be refused to any one who in
sists that his body shall be cremated.
az Those who of their own free will
chose to be cremated and persevered
in this choice till death are denied
ecclesiastical burial. 60 Mass shall
not be celebrated publicly for such
person, but it may be said privately.
(6) The Churchs rites may be per-
formed at the house and in the Church
for those who are to be cremated by
the wish of another, but no sacred
y
CD If the person was ignorant of the
Church's prohibition and willed his
body to be cremated, he may be given
Christian burial Where a will was
made to have ones body cremated,
but where the dying person revoked it
openly, but could not change the will
before death, it is permitted to give
such person Christian burial.
1t should be remembered that the
Church's opposition to the practice OF
cremation is not based on any opposi-
ton between that practice and the
doctrine of the resurrection, nor is it
owing to any explicit condemnation
founded on divine law. The introduc.
ton of the practice, however, would
undoubtedly be deviation from the
rule she has ever followed.
Cremation to-day is largely exploit
ed by those who publicly profess ir
religion or materialism. No sooner
had the European Masonic bodies
| gained governmental control than they
at once gave official recognition to this
rite. Since 1873 numerous societies
have been founded in various coun.
tries, yet in spite of the large number
of incinerations given in the report OF
the French Cremation Society for 1905
allowance being made for hospital
debris and embryos, the number OF
cremations by request is comparative
ly few-216 in Paris for the year 1894
and 354 in 1904, an increase of only
1873 in ten years. When irreligion has
done it's mischief in the schools OF
France it is easy to prophesy that the
number will be larger. Be that as il
may, no nation that calls itself Chris
tian can take kindly to custom which
is so contrary to the sentiments OF
flial piety, of coniugal and fraternal
affection, and which even friendship
revolts against as inhuman
/ The medico-legal aspect of crema
ton should not be overlooked. How
easy it would be to destroy all evi
dence of poison or violence by the
process of cremation! Not unfrequent
ly bodies are exhumed and traces OF
poison or of violence detected weeks
and months after the crime has beer
committed Cremation would render
detection in such instances impoSsi