How does the church feel about cremation? Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church - document "On the Christian burial of the dead"

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Cremation is one of the ritual processes of burial. The procedure involves burning the human body. In the future, the burnt ashes are collected in special urns. The methods of burial of cremated bodies are different. They depend on the religion of the deceased.

History of the cremation ritual

The tradition of burning corpses has been known to mankind since ancient times. According to archaeologists, this procedure was first used in the Paleolithic era. Later, this burial process spread everywhere.

There is a legend about the burial of the Buddha, according to which, his body was burned, and the ashes were buried in several parts of India.

In ancient times, cremation was widespread in Rome and Greece. It was believed that burning the body would help a person to go to the afterlife.

The Christian religion was not originallyreceived the cremation procedure. For the Orthodox, the burial process was carried out by placing a corpse in the ground. The burning of the human body was a sign of paganism.

Later, due to the development of Christianity in European countries, cremation was prohibited. The punishment for violating the ban was the death pen alty. The burning procedure has not been used for over a thousand years.

Today, cremation is widespread both in Europe and in the Russian Federation. This is due to the increase in population in large cities and the lack of space in the cemetery. This is a big problem. Therefore, more and more Christians prefer the procedure of burning, regardless of how the church relates to cremation. It happens that relatives fulfill the will of the deceased, who, before his death, expressed a desire to be cremated.

Christian burial traditions

Burial of the body in the Christian religion combines Orthodox and pagan elements. It is important to properly conduct the burial ritual and observe all national and religious traditions. This will help the deceased to move to another world.

The following rituals exist:

• washing the body of the deceased;
• dressing process;
• wires;
• farewell;
• funeral;
• burial;
• remembrance

Funeral preparations are carried out carefully. The deceased is washed with water. According to tradition, a person must appear before God cleansed bodily and spiritually. After that, the body is dressed in the best clothes. In ancient Russia, these were white robes. In themdressed both women and men. In the modern world, it is customary for men to dress in classic black suits and light-colored shirts. Women are buried in dresses of light colors. Now there are many funeral services where you can buy everything you need, including outfits.

Dead unmarried girls are buried in wedding dresses, a veil is placed next to them. It is a sign of purity and innocence. Young men wear wedding rings and wedding suits. Perhaps the presence of some wedding traditions. For example, drinking champagne.

Burial takes place on the third day after death. All this time the body is in the room. Have him face the icons. Mirrors are covered throughout the house. This is also a kind of tradition that has its own history. Extraneous sounds are not allowed. A prayer is placed in the hands of the deceased, a whisk is placed on the forehead. A cross must be put on a person. The room is fumigated with incense and church candles are burned.

See off a person with special honors. A portrait of the deceased is established, relatives and close people say goodbye, express their condolences to each other. The funeral procession escorts the body of a person to the cemetery, where the burial takes place.

The rite of the funeral of the soul of the deceased by the priest is obligatory. This is a necessary measure for the remission of the sins of the deceased. Suicides in the Orthodox religion are not buried. There may be exceptions, but they require the permission of the Patriarch of All Russia.

After burial, flowers and wreaths are left on the grave, a wooden cross is placed.

Upon arrival from the cemetery, according to tradition, a wake is held. Covering the tablesread prayers, sing special songs. As a rule, the commemoration is held on the third, ninth and fortieth day. It is believed that on the fortieth day the soul leaves the human world and enters the Kingdom of God.

Attitude of the Christian Church towards cremation

In large cities, cemeteries have less and less space for people to bury. Today it is a major problem for megacities. There is practically no space for new cemeteries. In this situation, cremation becomes an alternative solution to the problem.

How does the church feel about cremation? The Christian church promotes the burial of the body in the ground. This tradition is associated with the burial of Jesus Christ. Many scriptures say that man is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, even after death, the body must go into the earth. Therefore, the Orthodox faith takes care of the safety of the body.

Cremation is allowed by the church, but only as a necessary measure. Cemetery space is expensive. Not everyone has the means to purchase it. Burning the body and burying the urn with the ashes is much cheaper. Of course, the burning of the body does not mean the difficulty of the transition to another life. The Church does not refuse funeral services for relatives who decide to cremate the body of the deceased. This action is not considered a sin. According to the clergy, cremation will not be able to prevent the resurrection from the dead. But still, for the Orthodox religion, this is an unnatural process of decay of human remains. Regardless of the form of burial, allthe departed are commemorated at liturgies and requiems. Yet the attitude of the church towards cremation is negative.

Meeting of the Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church

In May 2015, a meeting of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church was held. This event was held in the Danilovsky Monastery in Moscow. At this event, an important document "On the Christian burial of the dead" was adopted.

The project has been developed over several years. The Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia participated in its revision. This document describes the norms for the burial of Orthodox believers.

Of course, there are situations in which the funeral and burial of the body becomes impossible. These can be plane crashes, floods (when bodies are carried into the water), terrorist attacks, fires, or any other tragic situation. In such situations, an absentee funeral service is possible. They are prayed for in the same way as for those buried in the ground. The clergy pay great attention to the relatives of the dead. They are taught to pray fervently for loved ones.

The essence of the document "On the Christian burial of the dead"

The assembly of the clergy made their position clear in the burial document.

According to the Holy Scriptures, the human body is the temple of God. The body of the deceased must be treated with respect. According to the Christian faith, a person comes from dust and after death his body must turn into dust. In this state it must rest until the day of resurrection, when "what was sown in corruption shall rise up inincorruption" (1 Cor. 15:42).

According to the burial document, any burial is made in the ground in wooden, plastic or stone coffins. Burial in caves and crypts is possible in compliance with the necessary standards.

Cremation is not recognized as the norm of burial. At the same time, the church says that the Lord God is able to resurrect any body that has been exposed to any element.

The procedure for cremating the human body

The process of human cremation occurs at the prior will of the deceased. It takes about one and a half hours. In the Russian Federation, the share of cremated burials is small and amounts to approximately 10%. But in large cities, mainly Moscow and St. Petersburg, this method of burial prevails over the traditional one. Its share is 70%. Of course, before deciding to burn the body, you need to think about all the intricacies of cremation, and you need to weigh the pros and cons.

This procedure is carried out in specially designated places, crematoria. There are furnaces, the temperature of which varies from 900 to 1100 °C. After the end of the procedure, the ashes are only 2-2.5 kg. First, it is placed in an iron capsule, which is subsequently sealed. Ashes can also be stored in an urn. Relatives of the deceased buy it on their own. Urns can be varied in design and shape. Crematorium staff move the ashes from the capsule to the urn.

Only relatives can pick up the ashes. The shelf life of the urn in the crematorium is 1 year. Sometimes more. If the ashes remain unclaimed, after the expiration of thestorage takes place in a common grave. Each crematorium has such burials.

Cremator

How are people cremated? Modern cremators consist of two chambers. The coffin with the body of the deceased is placed in the first chamber. This is where the first stage of human cremation takes place. Combustion takes place with hot air. Hot jets are not able to burn the body completely. Therefore, the remains are sent to the second cell. It's called an afterburner chamber. The remnants of organic tissues completely burn out in it.

From the cremator, the remains are sent to the cremator, where they are crushed into dust. Special magnets take out unburned metal products.

It is impossible to confuse the remains. Before burning, a metal number is placed in the coffin. After the procedure, he is pulled out of the ashes.

Burial sites

The state does not allocate special places for the burial of ashes. The relatives of the deceased dispose of the urn at their own discretion or carry out the last will of the deceased. The procedure for burying ashes is more convenient than traditional burial. The urn can be placed in a family grave. At the same time, it is not necessary to comply with the sanitary period (15 years).

You can purchase a place in an open or closed columbarium. Some simply scatter the ashes in a certain place.

Columbarium is a place where urns with the ashes of the dead are storedafter the cremation procedure. For the first time, such storage facilities were built during the ancient Roman civilization. Columbarium is a structure divided into many cells. Such vaults exist at every crematorium. In Moscow, the most famous columbarium is located in the Kremlin wall.

There are two types of such burials: open and closed. An open columbarium is installed outdoors. These can be various kinds of structures, divided into cells.

The closed columbarium is a separate building, the so-called mausoleum. In the walls of such rooms there are cells intended for storing ashes. The cells can be concreted after the urn is placed in them. After that, a portrait of the deceased person and various inscriptions are placed on the cell.

Columbarium cells are mostly covered with glass. Relatives and loved ones usually place memorabilia and photographs of the deceased along with the urn.

There are also family columbariums. In terms of meaning, they can be compared with family crypts or with family graves in a cemetery. One such cell can hold up to four urns with ashes.

Moscow Crematoria

There are three crematoria in the city of Moscow. All of them are located at the cemeteries: Nikolo-Arkhangelsk, Mitinsky and Khovansky.

Addresses:

• Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery - Moscow, S altykovka microdistrict, st. Roundabout, 4.
• Mitinsky cemetery is located outside the Moscow Ring Road, Moscow, Mitinsky district, Pyatnitskoye highway, 6th km.
• Khovanskoye cemetery is located in the city of Moscow, the settlement "Mosrentgen", st. Admiral Kornilov, Kiev highway, 21st km.

To find out how people are cremated, you need to contact the administration of the crematorium. You can also check the cost of the procedure here.

In the main crematoriums provide services of various levels. The price depends on the choice of the hall for farewell to the deceased, ritual accessories, etc.

Burial of the ashes at the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery

Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery was founded in 1960. Initially, burials were carried out here only by the traditional method. Later, in 1973, it was decided to open a crematorium on the territory of the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery in Moscow. This is a big building. The crematorium conducts up to forty cremations a day.

Mostly the relatives of the dead do not pay attention to how the church treats cremation. The fact is that the cemetery is closed for new burials. Burial is allowed only in related graves or places purchased in advance. The traditional method of burial in a family grave requires compliance with a sanitary deadline. This condition is becoming a major problem for metropolitan areas. Therefore, most of the population of large cities resorts to the cremation procedure.

On the territory of the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemetery there are columbariums of open and closed type. Unlike places for traditional burials, a place to store the ashes here can be bought without problems.

Open columbarium of the Nikolo-Arkhangelsk cemeterylocated on the street. These are rows of long walls divided into small cells. The ashes of the deceased in an open columbarium are concreted. After that, relatives have no access to the urn.

The closed columbarium is located in a separate building. This is a room, the walls of which are also divided into cells. Here the urn is behind a glass door. In addition to the urn, it is possible to put trifles dear to the deceased person in the cell: photographs, caskets, etc.

Prices for open and closed columbarium cells are different. In addition, the cemetery administration may charge an annual fee from the relatives of the deceased.

A variety of services are provided at the cemetery: a monument store, a mortuary, grave care. You can rent inventory for the care of the graves. In addition to the general crematorium, there is also a private one. It is located at the main entrance to the cemetery.

The church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos was built on the territory of the cemetery, as well as a small chapel.

Based on the above-described unambiguous conclusion about how the church relates to cremation, it is impossible to draw. On the one hand, the Christian faith promotes the traditional burial of the body of a deceased person. This is the natural way. It repeats the burial of Jesus Christ. On the other hand, cremation does not mean that the clergy refuse to carry out the funeral service and bury the ashes of the deceased. Since according to the scripture the Lord God will resurrect all souls in their body. Before making an important decision about the form of burial, it is worth weighing the pros and cons.