Cremation or the disposal of the dead body by burning, is an ancient practice, more widespread in the East than in the West. It is related to a belief in ancient religion that fire is a means of purification. In the West, the more common practice has been burial.

The Jews buried the dead. It was the same in New Testament times. Christ himself was buried. We read in the Acts that when Stephen was stoned to death, there were some devout people who buried him (8:2).

Although Greeks and Romans generally cremated their dead, the early Christians buried the dead in the catacombs; the subterranean vaults dug for burial purposes. It was in the catacombs that the bodies of the early Roman martyrs were interred.

The dead body of the Christian, who was called 'saint' in the early Church (e.g., Acts 9:13), has been treated with great respect from early times, especially the bodies of the martyrs. Christian respect for the dead body comes from the belief that it has been the temple of the Holy Spirit. "Your body, you know, is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you since you received him from God". (1 Cor. 6:19). Moreover, each time one received Holy Communion the body became a living tabernacle. Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead also influenced Christian preference for burial. The prayers of the Ritual and the Missal for funeral services presupposes burial. The cemetery where the Christian is buried is specially blessed for the purpose and is treated as hallowed ground, God's acre. It is as a mark of respect for the dead body that it is incensed at the funeral service.

Respect for the dead body turns into veneration in the case of the bodies of the saints. The veneration of saints' relics has been a practice in the Church from early times. This too explains why cremation has been discountenanced by the Church.

Thus in Christian tradition burial became the form of disposal of the dead. Historically the Church's opposition to cremation arose when especially at he time of the Enlightenment (18th century) some sceptics denounced the Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead as an absurdity, and to demonstrate it in practice willed their bodies to be cremated. It was because of the linking of cremation with the denial of the resurrection that the Church prohibited the cremation of the bodies of deceased Catholics.

The Old Code of Canon Law strictly forbade cremation (Can.1203). Even when cremation had been willed by the deceased, it was not to be carried out. Today, however, there is no positive and articulate antagonism to the belief in the resurrection of the dead. Moreover, finding burial space has become a problem especially in large crowded cities. The Church has therefore relaxed the ban on cremation, but expresses its preference for burial. Permission to cremate is moreover subject to a condition, which is that the decision to cremate should in no way conflict with Christian teaching. Says the New Code: "The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burial be retained; but it does not forbid cremation unless this is chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching." (Can. 1176, sec. 3).

Where cremation has been decided upon, the body should be brought to the Church for the funeral rites before cremation. The rites could be held over the ashes if the diocese has obtained from Rome a rescript for the purpose.