Every now and again I get asked about the scattering
of ashes. My answer is that the scattering of ashes within a Church of England
churchyard is not permitted and that I cannot officiate at a scattering of
ashes elsewhere, e.g., on the Common. The following explains this in a little
more detail.
The Church of England practice of disposing of the
ashes of a cremated body is governed by Canon B 38.4(b) which states: “The
ashes of a cremated body should be reverently disposed of by a minister in a
churchyard or other burial ground in accordance with section 3 of the Church ofEngland (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 1992 or on an area of land
designated by the bishop for the purpose of this sub-paragraph or at sea.”
In practice this means that except for rare occasions
(“at sea”) the Church of England only gets involved in the burial, not the
scattering of ashes. The section from Church law which I cited can be read as
indicating that the opposition to the scattering of ashes within the Church of
England is qualified rather than total as in other Churches. But scattering is
only envisaged “at sea”. Consecrated ground is not available for scattering and
a phone call to our Diocesan Registrar’s office confirmed that any
non-consecrated land designated for the purpose of the reverent disposal of
ashes is designated for the burial of ashes, not their scattering.
Why? One reason that may spring to mind for not
allowing ashes being scattered in the churchyard is piety, simple reverence for
the dead. It is one thing to add someone’s ashes to the burial place of their
husband or wife; it would be quite another thing to scatter them over the grave
of someone with no connection to the person whose ashes are scattered. Few
people would deliberately do that and yet if you scatter ashes in a churchyard
they will cover someone’s else grave, nearly inevitably so.
Maybe a more important reason is a concern for
corporeal integrity. The ashes of a deceased person are still human remains;
keeping them together respects the integrity of the body. After a plane or
train crash which leaves several people dead we would not collect the various
body parts in one random heap; we’d try to keep together what once belonged
together. It is a sign of respect. Maybe that same respect should be extended
to ashes. For Christians, keeping ashes together in one place also offers a
better witness to the belief in the resurrection of the body.
The belief in the redemption of our physical bodies
has been a central hope of the Christian faith from the beginning. Scattering
ashes is an action that fits better with a concept of “becoming one with the
universe” or some belief in a non-physical future for human beings. It does not
offer a good picture of the Christian belief in the bodily resurrection.
Scattering ashes seems to say that what remained of
this person’s body has no longer anything to do with that person. It does not reflect
an expectation that one day God will take our mortal remains and reconstitute
and transform them into a glorified body.
But, someone may ask, “Why would God bother restoring
what has been laid to rest? Can’t He just create a completely new body out of
nothing? Of course! However, by opening the graves and tombs and transforming
our dead and decomposed bodies into glorious, incorruptible bodies, God
declares once and for all: O death, where is your victory (1 Cor.
15:55). As Paul explained, When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and
the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is
written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory’ (1 Cor. 15:54). By snatching
our mortal dust and ashes from the grave and transforming them into something
eternal and glorious, God will demonstrate that Satan’s attempt at destroying
humanity failed.” (Michael J. Svigel)
Our God will not be at a loss in dealing with scattered
ashes. We need have no fear here. But what Christians want to affirm about death
and resurrection cannot easily be said at a scattering of ashes. There is therefore
no liturgy for it in the Church of England.
But should not those who do not hold the Christian faith
in the resurrection of the body be free to scatter ashes, especially the ashes of
people who did not believe in the resurrection either? I do not object to that.
I only ask that they respect the beliefs (and burial places) of others by not doing
so on the churchyard.
