Can someone be denied catholic burial for not being active enough?

[scientist]

Should non involvement in any of the statutory services or religious cult(eg. sacred heart group, St. Vincent de Paul group etc.), and financial reason deny a deceased baptized and communicant catholic a rightful burial?

 

[Fr.Charles_Grondin]

Canon law states that Catholics have a right to the Church’s funeral rites (emphasis added):

Can. 1176 §1. Deceased members of the Christian faithful **must **be given ecclesiastical funerals according to the norm of law.

There are a few exceptions to this:

Can. 1184 §1. Unless they gave some signs of repentance before death, the following must be deprived of ecclesiastical funerals:
1/ notorious apostates, heretics, and schismatics;
2/ those who chose the cremation of their bodies for reasons contrary to Christian faith;
3/ other manifest sinners who cannot be granted ecclesiastical funerals without public scandal of the faithful.

Not partaking of optional groups within a parish is not listed as a ground for denying the Catholic funeral rites. In fact, even if someone rarely darkened the doorway of their parish that in and of itself is not a ground to deny a Catholic funeral. There needs to be extreme extenuating circumstances to deny someone the Rites of Christian Burial.

Lack of money can never be grounds for denying a Catholic a spiritual act of the Church, as the Catechism notes:

2122 The minister should ask nothing for the administration of the sacraments beyond the offerings defined by the competent authority, always being careful that the needy are not deprived of the help of the sacraments because of their poverty.

Suggested offerings for baptisms, weddings, funerals, Masses, etc. can **never **be absolutely required.