Church teachings
2 min read
There are a boatload of Church teachings around death, burial, and the like. And we’re not going to cover them all here.
Your obligation as a Catholic is to make sure your desires around death and dying are in line with those teachings.
We do think it makes sense to lightly touch on one topic: the dignity of life and cremation.
Dignity of life
As Catholics, we believe in the dignity of life. And as that applies to dying, that means that we must provide and receive “ordinary care.” Euthanasia is out and so is refusing ordinary treatment that would normally be provided.
“Extraordinary care” is optional. If you have the means and desire to pay for some life-saving treatment across the world, that’s perfectly fine. However, it’s not required or expected.
The nuance is in the exact definitions of ordinary versus extraordinary. What’s ordinary care in Boston might be extraordinary in rural Kenya.
Another distinction is medical care versus medical treatment – making that distinction is important for the type of medical care you will receive. Other variation is artificial hydration and nutrition, the suspension of those. Also, the distinction between feeding tubes and breathing tubes.
Cremation
For most of Church history, Catholics have not been discouraged from having their bodies cremated. This stance has shifted over time. Today, the Church allows cremation and it is a more common practice among Catholics. While the Church now permits cremation, it also emphasizes the importance of treating the ashes with respect. Ashes should be kept in a sacred place, such as a cemetery or a church, rather than scattered, divided among family members, or kept at home. We recommend that you speak with your local church or clergy regarding your own funeral preferences. While the stance on cremation is likely the same, various churches and dioceses sometimes have unique and nuanced variations on typical funeral practices.
Additional resources
If you’re interested in learning more about Church teaching on death and dying, refer to the following resources: