Archaeology and the Church

[The_Wizard]

The other evening I came across a British television show called “Time Team”. The show is about an archaeological “team” that has three days to “dig” a site. The show I saw was about an iron age “monastery”. They uncovered several burials, removed the bones and sent sample of the bones for scientific testing. Now, assuming this was a “monastery” the grave were most likely in consecrated ground (even if it had been lost for a 1000 years). My question is what is the Church’s position on “digging” these grave sites, removing the bones for scientific study and removing sample of bone for scientific testing?

Off The Subject: I still think Ricky III should have been reburied in a Catholic service.

 

[HelenRose]

Good question. I hope someone can answer this.

 

[Medawlinno]

Not any differnt than doing archaeoligical digs at Indian burrial mounds or Egyptian tombs - all were considered sacred ground at one time.

 

[edwest2]

I hope everyone finds this helpful:

vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_commissions/archeo/inglese/documents/rc_com_archeo_pro_20011010_pcas_en.html

Ed

 

[BartholomewB]

Wizard

“Iron age” is a pretty imprecise description. Didn’t they give a better estimate than that for the dating? And the end of the “iron age” varies from country to country. Was the dig in Britain? In that case, if they used the term “iron age” it probably means that the “monastery,” so-called, was a pre-Christian site.

 

[BartholomewB]

Off The Subject: I still think Ricky III should have been reburied in a Catholic service.

Yes, I think so too.

 

[CB_Catholic]

I don’t think there is an objection unless the bones are those of a canonized saint or a Pope or someone like that or on private Church property without permission. I get some archeology magazines and have frequently read where archeologists are expected to treat human remains with the utmost respect. They will not tear the body apart unceremoniously and they will obtain only what they need for their research. They do not throw the bodies away when they are finished but will rebury them, or preserve them in a museum if it is a significant find.
Also, they cannot just randomly dig up bodies any place they please. There are local, governmental, and other regulations governing these digs and permits are necessary to proceed.

Also,the Church permits bodies to be exhumed for legal reasons, and even will itself exhume bodies of Saints and Popes to examine or move to another place.

 

[The_Wizard]

Bartholomew, IIRC they were throwing out date in the 8th and 9th centuries A. D. . So the “monastery” was Catholic Christian. Yes, they were “digging” somewhere in Britain. East of the northern tip of Ireland.

Wizard

“Iron age” is a pretty imprecise description. Didn’t they give a better estimate than that for the dating? And the end of the “iron age” varies from country to country. Was the dig in Britain? In that case, if they used the term “iron age” it probably means that the “monastery,” so-called, was a pre-Christian site.