Church now approves bonery, cremation

For as long as the dead is respected, any manner of disposal is approved by the Catholic Church now — even cremation and bonery. In an interview with GMA News TV’s Kape at Balita on Friday, retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz said bonery and cremation are two of the three Church-approved ways of treating the deceased. The other one is the traditional burial. “Kahit anong gawin sa katawan ng yumao, ang mahalaga siya ay namatay na nasa biyaya ng Diyos at pagkamatay niya siya ay ipagdadasal,” Cruz said. Bonery refers to exhuming a body after five years and placing its bones on a smaller place. “Sa ngayon, ang Simbahan ay tinatanggap ang tatlong paraan ng paggu-goodbye sa ating mga minamahal. Una 'yung tradisyunal na binabaon; ikalawa 'yung bonery, pagkatapos ibaon ng limang taon, ‘yung mga buto ilalagay sa mas maliit na lalagyan; at ikatlo, ‘yung columbarium, itong mga kini-cremate at dun nilalagay ang kanilang abo,” he said. The early Christian church rejected cremation, partly because of its association with Pagan societies of Greece and Rome. It only favors burial. On cremation, he said: “OK lang po ‘yun basta ang talagang alituntunin, ang anumang bagay sa anumang paraan ay dapat gawin na hindi lalabag sa karangalan ng namatay at sa ngalan ng Diyos.” Cruz noted that cremation has become popular because of the convenience it brings to the family of the deceased, who has the option to bring the ashes to a columbarium or even keep it in their homes. Cruz admitted that the doctrines of the Church change with new discoveries in science and medicine, like in the cases of suicide victims. “Halimbawa noong araw, ‘pag ikaw ay nagpakamatay, hindi ka pwedeng bendisyunan. Ngayon po, pwede kasi nasabi ng mga dalubhasa sa psychology at psychiatry na ang nagpapakamatay ay wala sa kanilang sarili so pwedeng bendisyunan,” he said. In 2007, the Catholics Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) laid down the guidelines for cremation, among them the use of a “worthy urn” for the ashes of the deceased. The CBCP Episcopal Commission on Liturgy (ECL) also strongly prefers that cremation take place after or before the funeral Mass. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News