“God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.”[1] Anyone who has experienced the death of a family member knows the great sorrow and pain it brings. As Christians, we believe that with death, life is only changed, not ended. One way the Church assists the faithful departed and comforts mourners is through the funeral liturgy. This article will illustrate how the Church aids deceased non-Catholics and their families by granting them funeral rites in certain circumstances. Here, non-Catholics will be understood as those not yet baptized Catholic or those baptized but not in full communion with the Catholic Church.[2]
Canon 1183 §1 states, “When it concerns funerals, catechumens must be counted among the Christian faithful.”[3] Catechumens are unbaptized persons beyond the age of infancy (7) who ask to be baptized and fully initiated into the Catholic Church.[4] These are individuals enrolled in the Catechumenate/R.C.I.A. program. Since they are not baptized, catechumens do not have rights in the Church. Instead, catechumens are granted prerogatives;[5] One such prerogative is to have a funeral liturgy. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that catechumens share in the baptism by desire; they wish to receive baptism, while expressing sorrow for sins.[6] In the event that catechumens die before receiving baptism by water, the law mentions that they must be considered as members of the Christian faithful. In short, a funeral mass and rite of Christian burial can be celebrated for deceased catechumens.
According to canon 1183 §2, “the local ordinary can permit children whom parents intended to baptize who died before baptism to be given ecclesiastical funerals.”[7] The thought of applying this norm makes us feel uneasy; experiencing the death of a child is heartbreaking and indescribable. The canon law makes special provision for these children, who would have been baptized, if not for their unexpected death. The Order of Christian Burial describes the manner in which ministers, family members, and the Christian community offer funeral rites for these children.[8]
Canon 1183 §3 pertains to funeral rites for baptized non-Catholics. It states, “in the prudent judgment of the local ordinary, ecclesiastical funerals can be granted to baptized persons who are enrolled in a non-Catholic Church or ecclesial community unless their intention is evidently contrary and provided that their own minister is not available.”[9] The law states the two conditions under which Catholic ministers may celebrate a funeral for baptized non-Catholics. The first condition is that the deceased non-Catholic was not opposed to having a Catholic funeral liturgy. This is to obviously respect the wishes and intentions of the deceased. The second condition is that the deceased non-Catholic’s minister is unavailable to perform the funeral. John M. Huels explains that the non-Catholic’s minister may be physically or morally unavailable.[10] He writes, “An example of physical unavailability is when there is no church of that denomination in the area. Examples of moral unavailability are: when the deceased had not practiced his or her faith whereas the next of kin is a practicing Catholic; or if the non-Catholic had been intending to become a Catholic.”[11] The Ecumenical Directory also notes that a funeral mass may be offered for baptized non-Catholics, but the name of the deceased is not said during the Eucharistic Prayer. [12]
The Church acknowledges that all the baptized are incorporated into the mystical Body of Christ. As a result, all the baptized share some degrees of communion even if they are not Catholic. Canon law will permit the exercise of their ecclesial rights under certain conditions. Only Baptized Catholics share full communion with each other since they have common faith, common sacraments, and common governance.[13]
The Latin Code of Canon law does not make explicit provision for funerals of deceased unbaptized persons who are neither children nor catechumens. One can imagine an unbaptized adult such as a Hindu, Muslim, Atheist, or Shinto who is married to a devout Catholic. What about them? It is a sensitive matter, especially if the deceased’s family members insist that some formal burial rites take place for their loved one. However, much of the difficulty is that the funeral liturgy focuses on baptismal symbols like the paschal candle, holy water, and incense. One may argue that the unbaptized person had the free will to embrace baptism, yet he or she declined for whatever reason. If so, then the deceased’s will should be respected. The pastor must carefully inform the reasons for the denial of a funeral liturgy. This does not mean though, that nothing can be done. Instead, the pastor or church minister can assist the family through personal and devotional prayers; together they can invoke God’s mercy for the deceased by praying the rosary or the Liturgy of the Hours. Also, masses can be offered for the departed unbaptized person as priests can offer mass to for anyone, living or deceased.[14]
Canon 876 §2 of the Eastern Code of Canon may offer further insight when dealing with this situation. It states, “others who had seemed to be in some what close to the Church, but who died before they received baptism, can be given an ecclesiastical funeral according to the prudent judgment of the local hierarch.”[15] The Eastern canon makes provision for offering funerals for unbaptized adults as long as they were close to the Church. Perhaps one can imagine the unbaptized husband of a devout Catholic, who accompanied his wife and children to Sunday masses and started talking about becoming Catholic. As Roy Joseph Kaduppil notes, this group of adults would be considered aspirants of baptism, but they died before entering the period of the catechumenate.[16] In cases of doubt, the diocesan bishop should be consulted since he is the moderator of the liturgy in his diocese.[17]
This submission has attempted to explain how the Church extends Her spiritual assistance to deceased non-Catholics; the unbaptized and those baptized but not in full communion. Canon 1183 §§1-3 treated the conditions under which a funeral liturgy can be celebrated for these persons. Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord. And may perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.
[1] Wisdom 1:13.
[2] Codex Iuris Canonici auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II promulgatus (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1983) c.11. English translation from Code of Canon Law, Latin-English Edition: New English Translation (Washington DC: CLSA, 2012). All subsequent English translations from this code will be taken from this source unless otherwise indicated.
[3] Canon 1183 §1.
[4] Canon 206 §1.
[5] Ibid.
[6] CCC 1259.
[7] Canon 1183 §2.
[8] Order of Christian Funerals. No. 234-242. Washington, D.C: International Commission on English in the Liturgy, 1985.
[9] Canon 1183 §3.
[10] John M. Huels, “Those To Whom Ecclesiastical Funerals Must Be Granted Or Denied cc. 1183-1185,” In New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law, ed. John Beal et al. (New York/Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2001) 1412 (Hereafter New Commentary).
[11] Ibid.
[12] Pontifical Council For Promoting Christian Unity, “Ecumenical Directory,” No. 121, https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/directory-on-ecumenism-2345, (accessed August 11, 2021).
[13] Canon 205.
[14] Canon 901.
[15] Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium auctoritate Ioannis Pauli PP. II (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1990). C.876 §2. English translation from Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Latin-English Edition (Washington DC: CLSA, 2001). All subsequent English translation from this code will be taken from this source unless otherwise indicated.
[16] Roy Joseph Kaduppil, “Cemeteries and Ecclesiastical Funerals cc.874-879,” in A Practical Commentary To The Code of Canons Of The Eastern Churches, eds. John D. Faris and Jobe Abbas. (Canada: Wilson & Lafleur, 2019) 1652.
[17] Canon 835 §1.
