Bishops reject water cremation as incompatible with Catholic faith
US bishops urge Catholics to steer clear of alkaline hydrolysis as a way of burial until respectful disposal of remains is ensured, as the method gains legal status in more states.
The Catholic Church has a tradition of burying the dead in the ground or in a tomb or mausoleum. The Church also permits cremation, but with some conditions – such as that the ashes must still be buried or placed in a columbarium – and forbids the scattering of the ashes. However, there is a new method of cremation, which uses a water-based solution that completely dissolves organic matter, and bishops are warning that it is not acceptable for Catholics.
The method is called alkaline hydrolysis, aquamation, or “water cremation,” and it is legal in 24 states, with seven more considering its legalization. The Cremation Association of North America explains that the method involves putting the body of the deceased in a sealed container, where a watery mixture with high pH breaks down the body under pressure and heat.
The method is claimed to have less environmental impact than traditional cremation and produces more remains – in the form of bones, which have to be ground to powder – which would need a bigger urn. The liquid waste that contains the dissolved organic matter, however, is simply flushed into the sewer system, or even used as fertilizer, and this is where the Catholic Church has a serious issue with the method.
The Catholic Church requires that human remains be treated with respect to safeguard the dignity of the dead, as they were when they were alive. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.”
While the Vatican has not yet commented on water cremations, US bishops have provided guidance to the faithful. According to the Archdiocese of St. Louis, former Washington Archbishop Donald Cardinal Wuerl said that the way of disposal associated with water cremations is “unnecessarily disrespectful of the human body.”
The Archdiocese of St. Louis also judged the method unsuitable for Catholics. Recently retired Archbishop Robert J. Carlson concluded that “this form of cremation in its current practice violates the dignity of the deceased human person.” The archdiocese advised Catholics to avoid water cremations “until another suitable means of disposing of the liquid remnant can be established.”
The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops addressed water cremations in 2019:
“Treating the dead with respect is a duty of the living and a right of the dead and this bill fails to treat the dead with respect. Proponents of alkaline hydrolysis claim that the result is similar to that of cremation with some remains of bones able to be buried. What they fail to explain is that there is also a large volume of liquid, approximately 100 gallons, in which the rest of the body has been dissolved. Usually the liquid is poured into the sewer.”
The Texas bishops also doubted if the method was truly more environmentally friendly, as the waste and chemicals used to break them down are all flushed into the wastewater. They also pointed out that, even though water cremations cost less, “Human bodies must not be treated with less respect and reverence for a faster, cheaper disposal for medical research facilities.”
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