Who Can Be Denied a Catholic Funeral? A History and Church Teaching on the ‘Very Rare’ Denials
The confrontational behavior by mourners attending a funeral service at New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral for a noted transgender activist on Feb. 15 prompted questions about why the service was allowed in the first place.
Officials with the Archdiocese of New York say they were misled, a claim the organizer of Cecilia Gentili’s funeral denies.
But while the details of that episode remain murky, one thing is clear: It’s much less common for someone to be denied a Catholic funeral than it used to be. Even some notorious organized crime lords have received a requiem Mass.
Many pastors are more worried about Catholics skipping funeral Masses than about someone requesting one unworthily.
“Presently, the more important value is that the person has available the sacrifice of Christ, which is the Mass, which brings his mercy to the deceased,” said Father Dennis Gill, rector of the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul in Philadelphia and the director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Divine Worship.
“So it would be very rare — very rare — that a funeral Mass would be denied,” he said. “In fact, today, my concern is the number of Catholics that are not having a funeral Mass and going directly to burial. That’s not helpful to Catholics or to Catholic life.”
What Are the Grounds for Denial?
The default position in the Catholic Church is that Catholics get a funeral Mass if they or their family asks for one.
“Deceased members of the Christian faithful must be given ecclesiastical funerals according to the norm of law,” canon law (1176) states.
There are exceptions.
Current canon law (1184) denies a Church funeral to unrepentant “notorious apostates, heretics, and schismatics,” those who choose cremation “for reasons contrary to the Christian faith” (meaning they deny the resurrection), and “other manifest sinners” whose funeral would cause “public scandal of the faithful.”
That evidently doesn’t apply to many people. The Register asked every diocese in the United States if, in memory, the diocese had rejected a request for a funeral. Thirty-eight responded — a little more than one-fifth. Many said No. None provided examples of recent rejections.
As for standards, many told the Register they simply follow canon law. Some also provide further guidance for pastors.
“Someone who had rejected the faith, caused scandal, or was known to be anti-Church could be refused by the pastor. In some instances, other prayer forms might be utilized outside of a public funeral Mass,” said Carolee McGrath, media relations manager for the Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts, by email.
The Diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, directs pastors to consult the bishop or his delegate if “there is an extraordinary case when the Funeral Mass would cause confusion or scandal because the departed lived with public, pronounced disdain for the faith, and refused any hint of reconciliation with the Church.”
“Careful discussion in these rare cases addresses the needs of the bereaved family and recognizes that the departed was not open to the Catholic faith or died without any sense of the need for reconciliation. The scriptures tell us that ‘It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins’ (2 Maccabees 12:46),” the diocese’s guidance states.
“We should pray for all of the departed,” the guidance continues. “It is also important to encourage the faith of the Body of Christ, the Church, by evaluating difficult cases with care so that no one is hurt by what might be a celebration that does not serve the communion of the Church.”
Father Gerald Murray, a canon lawyer and a pastor in New York City, told the Register a priest who receives a request for a Catholic funeral should meet with the family or other person making the request and during the meeting determine if the deceased falls into a restricted category.
“In the case of someone who enjoys public prominence, an internet search may quickly reveal valuable information,” Father Murray said by email.
A delicate situation ought to be referred to the local bishop, he added.
“It is always wise to consult the bishop when the refusal of a funeral is likely to cause public comment and even resentment of what could be labelled as an un-Christian denial of a Church funeral,” Father Murray said.