I have been thinking about cremation but don’t want to go against the Word so leaning more towards burial.

We read in 1 Samuel 31 how Saul, his sons and generals killed themselves rather than surrender to Philistines. The valiant men of Israel retrieved their dead bodies ,burned them and buried the bones under a tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Elsewhere, we see prominent men of Israel getting buried on their death. It is not clear why Israelites chose to cremate the dead body of Saul. What explanation do scholars offer for the same ? Inputs from any denomination are welcome.

Cremation is a very popular way to deal with the bodies of the deceased in the UK, and is permitted by the Church of England as an appropriate method for doing so. The process creates ashes, which then need to be scattered, interred, or otherwise disposed of. What options for disposal of ashes are appropriate according to the canon law and practices of the Church of England?

This *Simply Catholic* article [Catholic Burial and Cremation](https://www.simplycatholic.com/catholic-burial-and-cremation/) explains the **rationale** behind the prohibition of spreading the ashes from a cremated person, along with the **precondition** that the cremated person needs to believe in the resurrection of the body. Instead, the ashes are to be buried or stored in a sacred place to encourage prayer on behalf of the deceased as a member of the communion of saints. The basis for the article is the 2016 instruction from the Vatican's CDF. My question has to do with the *authority structure* and the consequent variations of **local implementation** of this teaching: - how much of the rules is set in canon law, how much by CDF, how much is set by a country's congregation of bishops (like USCCB) - whether bishops or even priests can relax or add further restrictions in connection with preserving the ashes - how much of the actual practice varies by country / diocese

Wikipedia's [Desmond Tutu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu) (the former archbishop of the [Anglican_Diocese_of_Cape_Town](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_Diocese_of_Cape_Town) , theologian, and known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist) says: >A Funeral Mass was held for Tutu at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town on 1 January 2022... Following the funeral, Tutu's remains were to be [aquamated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkaline_hydrolysis_(body_disposal)) , a process similar to cremation but with up to 90 percent less carbon dioxide emissions. His ashes will be interred in St. George's Cathedral and that Wikipedia article says: >When alkaline hydrolysis was proposed in New York state in 2012, the New York State Catholic Conference condemned the practice, stating that hydrolysis does not show sufficient respect for the teaching of the intrinsic dignity of the human body20. > >20CatholicNewsAgency.com (New York City, N.Y., Mar 25, 2012) [NY Catholic conference opposes 'chemical digestion' of human remains](https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/24591/ny-catholic-conference-opposes-chemical-digestion-of-human-remains) I have two related questions: 1. What were the theological origins of "shows sufficient respect..." from which the New York Catholic Conference would have made the determination that cremation does ([barely](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/62699/54135)) but aquamation doesn't? 2. Have they maintained this position? Does the Catholic Church as a whole have a position on the more environmentally friendly alternative to cremation?

In Bible times, only people in God’s disfavor were burned after death.

My mother, a Roman Catholic in good standing, passed recently and wished to be cremated and her ashes poured out at sea. A young priest at her parish, fresh out of seminary, indicated that such a thing goes against Catholic teaching while an older priest of 44 years in the same parish suggested not bringing the ashes to the memorial Mass and then doing whatever we wish. It was also suggested that the entire urn could be tossed into the ocean but sprinkling the ashes out is the part that is disallowed. What is the official Roman Catholic stance on: 1) Cremation 2) disposition of ashes at sea, particularly regarding sprinkling out of the urn