Vatican Relaxes Ashes Regulations

The Vatican has eased its rules on the storage of cremated ashes, stating that a small part of the ashes may be kept in a place that was significant to the deceased, rather than in a church or cemetery. However, the remaining ashes must still be kept in a sacred place to ensure they are not excluded from prayers and remembrance. The Vatican's doctrinal office emphasized that anti-Christian practices must be ruled out, and the identity of each deceased must be marked if their ashes are mixed in a common urn. The Catholic Church has historically frowned upon cremation, but the ban was lifted in 1963.