I am glad that Nelson has enlightened us on Cremation as an approved option for
Catholics.
Cremation is preferable to burying the body for several reasons:
1. In a congested nation like India we can ill afford land to bury our dead.
2. When a person dies of an infectious illness such as HIV, or Tuberculosis,
when the
body is buried the pathogens enter the soil and eventually make their
way to
underground aquifers.
3. In the USA, in addition to the coffin/casket,a waterproofed concrete
container is
placed in the grave and the casket is placed within this container,
which is then
covered by a waterproofed concrete lid, before the soil is placed
over the burial
site. This helps prevent any leakage of body fluids into the soil.
I appreciate the fact that we venerate the body after a person's
demise. But out
of sight, out of mind. Do we realize what happens in the process of
the body's
decomposition, with maggots and worms attacking the corpse. ?
4. In Goa the remains are disinterred after 3 or 4 years and either
placed in a
niche for those who can afford it, or dumped in a large pit.
Grave diggers have
scant reverence or respect for the bones that they dis-inter. Where
is the
respect for the remains of the deceased ?
Finally, underground aquifers are interlinked. Pathogens entering the
soil in a
cemetery can travel and radiate to a distance of several kilometers from
the
cemetery. Since many people rin Goa rely on hand dug wells for their
drinking
water do we test the water we drink ?
This is a subject that many will find disturbing. But we need to be informed.
Like Nelson, I believe Cremation is the way to go and environmentally more
appropriate.
