Does the Catholic Church allow ashes to be...

Does the Catholic Church allow ashes to be scattered?

Asked 4 years ago

Hi, my parents have always been strongly Catholic, and we'll be having their memorial in a Catholic church. The plan is to have their bodies cremated, but I don't particularly want to keep them in my living room. Now, while I was brought up Catholic, we never spoke about cremation rules. Does anyone here know whether my husband and I will be allowed to scatter their ashes into the ocean? Thank you in advance.

Scattering ashes

Baron Wade

Wednesday, March 09, 2022

Though the Pope and the Church approve of cremation, the deceased person's ashes cannot be scattered and must be placed in a cemetery or “sacred place". In the eyes of the Church, this is a type of desecration and is looked at as a sign of disrespect to the deceased.