DURING the interment of the ashes of the late Panay News founder Daniel Gumban Fajardo in a columbarium, I wondered whether he had asked to be cremated. I could only recall that while waiting to undergo heart surgery in a Metro Manila hospital, he phoned me to say he knew the risk and was prepared for whatever consequences.
In fact, weeks ago, Danny and I had talked about the cremation of my younger brother Efren. He asked whether I would want it for myself when my time comes. I quipped, “Why not? It’s painless.”
Cremation hastens the transformation described in the Bible verse “Dust you are and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19).
Due to ingrained religious tradition, however, some people still view cremation as “disrespect to the dead.” No thanks to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) for denouncing cremation as un-Christian. As Fr. Jerome Secillano once put it, “We believe as Catholics that even the remains of those who passed away should be respected.”
On the other hand, a number of Catholic celebrities have expressed outrage over that admonition. Actress Whoopi Goldberg, who had played nun in Sister Act, once hollered on TV, “You can’t dictate to people what is sacred.”
Goldberg’s mother had been cremated and her ashes scattered “all over the house.”
Long before he breathed his last due to multiple organ failure, my brother Efren had expressed his preference for cremation. For while it would take a century for the flesh and bones to completely turn into dust, cremation short-cuts the process in three hours.
The Catholic Church has not been consistent vis-à-vis the disposal of human cadavers. In 1917, the Code of Canon law banned Church funeral for the cremated.
In 1963, the Vatican lifted the prohibition against cremation but did not encourage the practice. It was only in 1983 when the revised Canon law explicitly allowed cremation as second choice of final disposition for dead Catholics.
The history of cremation dates as far back as 25 BC in Rome. The crude way then called for burning the remains over ignited firewood.
In the process of modern-day cremation, the deceased (with all garments and jewelry removed) is placed into the cremation chamber lined with fire-resistant bricks. Next, the chamber door is closed to initiate the burning process at 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. After the cremated remains are cooled, they are swept from the chamber and placed on a work area. Bone fragments are placed into a cylindrical processor and further crushed into small, uniform fragments. The cremated remains, weighing between four and 10 pounds, are placed in an urn selected by the family.
As practiced legally in the Philippines, the ashes in the urn may be buried in a cemetery, placed in a niche within a mausoleum or columbarium, scattered at sea or private property, or retained at home.
The proponents of early crematories were Protestant clergymen concerned with hazardous health conditions around cemeteries.
There are religions that practice cremation as a preferred means of final disposition over burial. The Hindus and Buddhists have all been embracing cremation for centuries in firm belief that it’s the spirit, not the body, which survives death.
The Muslims and Orthodox Jews abhor cremation because “the body is sacred.” Rabbinical sanctions would have to be given in the case of Orthodox Jews. However, another Jewish group who call themselves “Reformed Jews” practice cremation; and the taboo seems to have been lifted as they are the fastest growing group now choosing cremation as a means of final disposition. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
