Can a Lutheran have a Catholic funeral if he wishes? I have gotten two different answers from two different priests and an “I don’t know” from the third.
It depends on the circumstances. Ordinarily, if a Lutheran knows now that he wants a Catholic funeral when he dies, he should consider becoming Catholic. If he’s not interested in becoming Catholic, then why would he want a Catholic funeral and why should a Catholic priest or deacon accommodate him when they hardly have enough time to handle the funerals of Catholics (who sometimes don’t get funeral Masses if there is a shortage of priests in their area)?
However, if the Lutheran is married to a Catholic and is inactive in his own Lutheran faith, it may be that his Catholic family would want a funeral Mass for him and knows he would not object. Or, there may be some reason why the Lutheran cannot be tended to by a Lutheran minister. Or, it may be that the Lutheran was in the process of becoming Catholic and died before that process could be completed (and, in that case, has a right to a Catholic funeral). In the case of someone who didn’t have any intention of becoming Catholic but who was known not to object to being given a Catholic funeral, then the local ordinary is presented with the facts of the case and makes a decision as to whether or not that person can be given a Catholic funeral.
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