# Do Catholics Believe in Cremation? > Canon 1176 recommends burial and does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen against Christian doctrine. Ad resurgendum cum Christo prefers burial, allows cremation, and forbids scattering ashes or keeping them in jewelry. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/catholic/do-catholics-believe-in-cremation - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: Catholic - Beliefs: none - Tags: cremation, burial, resurrection - Updated: 2026-10-11 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) The Catholic Church recommends burial and does not prohibit cremation, unless cremation was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine. The 2016 instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo says cremation does not prevent the resurrection, and it forbids scattering the ashes or keeping them in jewelry. This page quotes those texts and the verses on death and the body. ## Key Points - [Canon 1176 §3](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann1166-1190_en.html) [(2)](#ref-2): “The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.” - [Ad resurgendum cum Christo](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20160815_ad-resurgendum-cum-christo_en.html) [(1)](#ref-1), paragraph 3, says the Church “insistently recommends” burial in cemeteries or other sacred places, as the most fitting way to express hope in the resurrection of the body. - Paragraph 4 says the Church “raises no doctrinal objections” to cremation chosen for sanitary, economic, or social considerations, because cremation “does not affect his or her soul” and does not prevent God from raising the body. The Church “continues to prefer” burial. - Paragraph 5 says the ashes “must be laid to rest in a sacred place.” Paragraph 7 says it is not permitted to scatter the ashes “in the air, on land, at sea” or to preserve them “in mementos, pieces of jewelry or other objects.” - [1 Corinthians 15:42](/bible/1-corinthians/15/42) [(3)](#ref-3) says the body is sown in corruption and raised in incorruption. [Genesis 3:19](/bible/genesis/3/19) [(4)](#ref-4) says, “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” ## What the Church Recommends The instruction [Ad resurgendum cum Christo](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20160815_ad-resurgendum-cum-christo_en.html) [(1)](#ref-1) is dated 15 August 2016. Paragraph 3: > Following the most ancient Christian tradition, the Church insistently recommends that the bodies of the deceased be buried in cemeteries or other sacred places. It says burial is “above all the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body,” and that by burying the bodies of the faithful the Church “confirms her faith in the resurrection of the body” and shows “the great dignity of the human body.” It says the Church cannot condone rites that treat death as “the definitive annihilation of the person,” or as fusion with Mother Nature, or as a stage in a cycle of regeneration, or as liberation from the “prison” of the body. Paragraph 4: In circumstances when cremation is chosen because of sanitary, economic or social considerations, this choice must never violate the explicitly-stated or the reasonably inferable wishes of the deceased faithful. The Church raises no doctrinal objections to this practice, since cremation of the deceased’s body does not affect his or her soul, nor does it prevent God, in his omnipotence, from raising up the deceased body to new life. The same paragraph: “Thus cremation, in and of itself, objectively negates neither the Christian doctrine of the soul’s immortality nor that of the resurrection of the body.” The Church “continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased.” Then: cremation “is not prohibited, unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine.” After the funeral rite, “the Church accompanies the choice of cremation” when the motives are not contrary to Christian doctrine. ## What Canon 1176 Says [Canon 1176 §3](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann1166-1190_en.html) [(2)](#ref-2): > The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed; nevertheless, the Church does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine. [Canon 1177 §1](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann1166-1190_en.html) [(2)](#ref-2), on the same page: “A funeral for any deceased member of the faithful must generally be celebrated in his or her parish church.” The instruction’s paragraph 4 speaks of “the celebration of the funeral rite” and then of accompanying cremation. A price for cremation was not in these documents. ## Where the Ashes Must Rest Paragraph 5 of the instruction says that when cremation has been chosen for legitimate motives, “the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases, in a church or an area, which has been set aside for this purpose, and so dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority.” Paragraph 7: [(1)](#ref-1) > It is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry or other objects. The paragraph says those courses of action cannot be legitimized by the sanitary, social, or economic motives that may have occasioned the choice of cremation. The fetched text answers scattering, the home as a keepsake, and jewelry. It does not discuss funeral manners. ## What the Bible Says [Genesis 3:19](/bible/genesis/3/19) [(4)](#ref-4): “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The verse is about returning to the ground. It does not name cremation. [1 Corinthians 15:42](/bible/1-corinthians/15/42) [(3)](#ref-3): “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption.” [1 Corinthians 15:44](/bible/1-corinthians/15/44): “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” The chapter is about the resurrection body. The instruction says cremation does not prevent God from raising that body, and that burial is the more fitting sign of the same hope. [John 11:17](/bible/john/11/17): “Then when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days already.” The verse is about a burial, and about the grave Jesus comes to. It is not a rule about fire. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Do Catholics Frown on Cremation? [Canon 1176](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann1166-1190_en.html) [(2)](#ref-2) earnestly recommends burial and does not prohibit cremation unless it was chosen for reasons contrary to Christian doctrine. The instruction prefers burial as a greater esteem and says the Church raises no doctrinal objections when the choice is sanitary, economic, or social. ### Can a Catholic Have a Funeral If the Body Is Cremated? [Canon 1177 §1](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann1166-1190_en.html) [(2)](#ref-2) says a funeral for any deceased member of the faithful must generally be celebrated in his or her parish church. The instruction says that after the funeral rite the Church accompanies a choice of cremation that is not contrary to Christian doctrine. ### May Catholic Ashes Be Scattered? Paragraph 7 says it is not permitted to scatter the ashes in the air, on land, at sea, or in some other way. ### May Ashes Be Kept at Home or in Jewelry? The same paragraph says the ashes may not be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry, or other objects. Paragraph 5 says they must be laid to rest in a sacred place. ## The Churches on This Site - [Catholic](/catholic) - [Christianity](/christianity) - [What Do Catholics Believe?](/christianity/what-do-catholics-believe) - [Is Purgatory Biblical?](/christianity/is-purgatory-biblical) - [Common Arguments](/common-arguments#do-catholics-believe-in-cremation) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### 1 Corinthians 15:42 King James Version. > So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: ### 1 Corinthians 15:44 King James Version. > It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Ad resurgendum cum Christo, 15 August 2016](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20160815_ad-resurgendum-cum-christo_en.html) (Instruction of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, English on the Holy See’s website.) 2. [Code of Canon Law, Canon 1176](https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann1166-1190_en.html) (English on the Holy See’s website. Canon 1177, on the funeral, is on this same page.) 3. [First Letter to the Corinthians, 15:42](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/15/42). King James Version 4. [Book of Genesis, 3:19](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/genesis/3/19). King James Version ## See Also - [The Resurrection of Jesus](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/resurrection-of-jesus) — The Christian claim that Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised, and the main ways that claim is doubted. - [Baptist vs Catholic: What's the Difference?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/baptist-vs-catholic) — The Baptist Faith and Message beside the Catechism of the Catholic Church on authority, baptism, justification, Mary and the saints, the pope, and the Lord’s Supper. - [Can Eastern Orthodox Priests Marry?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/can-eastern-orthodox-priests-marry) — An Orthodox clergy answer says a married man may be ordained deacon or priest, once, and may not marry after ordination. The OCA’s Trullo essay says bishops are celibate. Catholic Canon 277 binds clerics to celibacy. Anglican Article XXXII says priests may marry. - [Can You Lose Your Salvation? What Each Church Teaches About "Once Saved, Always Saved"](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/once-saved-always-saved) — Can a Christian lose salvation? Official teaching from Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, and other churches, with the King James verses each side cites. - [Catholic vs Protestant: What's the Difference?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/catholic-vs-protestant) — Catholics are Christians. The difference is authority, justification, the sacraments, Mary and the saints, purgatory, and the pope, in each church’s own words.