Catholic Church and burial of sinners

[BasiaGirl]

I’m reading a book on a history of burial and I came across the following: “According to Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies? (bit.ly/10A8525), the Catholic Church once denied burial to various types of sinners, routinely chanting over the bodies left to rot, “Sint cadavera eorum, in escam volatilibus coeli, et bestiis terrae” (Give over this erring body for food to the fowls of the air and beasts of the field).”

Is this true? It’s difficult for me to believe. I can understand the Church not allowing a known sinner to be buried in on consecrated ground back in the day, but to leave the body out for animals. This piece of information didn’t have a source to back it up. Does anyone know the answer to this?

 

[Micosil]

I’m reading a book on a history of burial and I came across the following: “According to Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies? (bit.ly/10A8525), the Catholic Church once denied burial to various types of sinners, routinely chanting over the bodies left to rot, “Sint cadavera eorum, in escam volatilibus coeli, et bestiis terrae” (Give over this erring body for food to the fowls of the air and beasts of the field).”

Is this true? It’s difficult for me to believe. I can understand the Church not allowing a known sinner to be buried in on consecrated ground back in the day, but to leave the body out for animals. This piece of information didn’t have a source to back it up. Does anyone know the answer to this?

Hm, I may investigate this. I’ve also found the same prayer in Corpses, Coffins and Crypts: A History of Burial by Penny Colman.

 

[1ke]

I’m reading a book on a history of burial and I came across the following: “According to Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies? (bit.ly/10A8525), the Catholic Church once denied burial to various types of sinners, routinely chanting over the bodies left to rot, “Sint cadavera eorum, in escam volatilibus coeli, et bestiis terrae” (Give over this erring body for food to the fowls of the air and beasts of the field).”

Is this true? It’s difficult for me to believe. I can understand the Church not allowing a known sinner to be buried in on consecrated ground back in the day, but to leave the body out for animals. This piece of information didn’t have a source to back it up. Does anyone know the answer to this?

Bury the dead is one of the corporal works of mercy, a serious obligation for Catholics.

What you have is a person with no biblical understanding or understanding of Catholicism making an unfounded conjecture about what a phrase they read somewhere means.

What it ACTUALLY means is this: it is a paraphrased quote from the Scripture. Psalm 78, particularly verse 2 and 3, to be exact, along with Jeremiah 22:19 and Jeremiah 36:30.

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It is symbolic language directed towards those who are denied ecclesial burial.

It may have been more literal at one time, who knows… The early church fathers could be pretty serious about heresy, apostasy, etc. But it seems to me it is simply a symbolic hyperbole, a statement quoting scripture indicating the seriousness of their situation.

 

[1ke]

Hm, I may investigate this. I’ve also found the same prayer in Corpses, Coffins and Crypts: A History of Burial by Penny Colman.

Which has no citation and no foundation itself. It is completely unfounded.

And again, another person who doesn’t know scripture confused by what they read since they lack context.

 

[Micosil]

Which has no citation and no foundation itself. It is completely unfounded.

And again, another person who doesn’t know scripture confused by what they read since they lack context.

Indeed, what I did find curious is that they didn’t provide any citations either. Thanks for the research, that cleared things up.

 

[BasiaGirl]

Hm, I may investigate this. I’ve also found the same prayer in Corpses, Coffins and Crypts: A History of Burial by Penny Colman.

That’s the exact book in which I found this info. And no cites… and I know that burying the dead is one of the Corporal Works of Mercy. That’s why I was so surprised to come across this information. But you’re right… no citations… nothing numbered. Bah!

 

[TimothyH]

I’m skeptical whenever I hear “the Church did” or “The Church said”, followed by some outlandish claim.

Most of the time it wasn’t “The Church” but some guy 300 miles in the middle of nowhere or some monk who lived in a cave, or someone was doing something and others around him really didn’t understand what he was doing.

Two or three billion members over a twenty centuries and someone doing something silly, stupid or even downright mean is pretty much an inevitablity. Even if someone in the Church refused burial and said that prayer it doesn’t mean that “The Church” did anything.

-Tim-

 

[Brendan]

For certain sins, such as heresy, suicide etc… a person could be denied an ecclesial burial, that is with a requiem Mass, funeral rites and burial in a Church cemetery.

But that is not the same thing as stating that the body was left to rot. It was simply buried elsewhere, without a Mass said.