By Matters India Reporter
Mumbai, June 17, 2020: The Mumbai-based Association of Concerned Catholics has expressed anguish at the alleged refusal of Catholic priests to perform funeral rites for Covid-19 victims.
“It is very sad that priests refuse to conduct funerals despite the fact burying the dead is one of the corporal works of mercy. Most priests are afraid of dying,” Melwyn Fernandes, secretary of the association, told Matters India on June 17.
The association’s reactions came in the backdrop of local media reports that priests’ refusal led to Catholics to perform the last rites of their relatives who died of Covid-19.
“While Catholic families say priests have been refusing to perform ceremony, Bombay Archdiocese says no such order has been issued,” the Mid-Day reported on June 17.
At the same time, the tabloid pointed out that a woman resident of Andheri, a Mumbai suburb, on June 13 performed the last rites of her uncle and sprinkle holy water on the grave after priests refused to conduct the funeral.
“There was no priest to recite the final prayers though the BMC (Bombay Municipal Corporation) and global medical experts have made it clear that there is no chance of COVID-19 being transmitted from a dead body,” the paper asserted.
The Andheri resident told the Mid-Day that her uncle had been unwell for a long time and died on June 12.
“I was told that we could not bury my uncle at the cemetery in Sacred Heart Church as they were not allowing the burial of Covid-19 patients. We buried him at the St Peter’s Catholic Cemetery in Mahalaxmi. The church said priests were not allowed to come for last rites because of some circular that they had received. I finally requested holy water from them and performed the last rites myself and blessed my uncle’s grave.”
The woman said that she would have arranged the Personal Protection Kits for the priests if they had wanted them and ensured social distancing. “It might be dangerous for aged priests to come for the last rites of Covid-19 patients but younger priests can be assigned,” she added.
On June 4, a resident of Bhowaida and a parishioner of St Paul’s Church lost his 71-year-old cousin to Covid-19. “The church refused to bury his body as they were not allowing it at the time, and the parish priest told us that they had received a circular telling them not to attend funeral rites. The last rites were finally performed by me,” the Mid-Day quoted him as saying.
Fernandes says his association plans to write to the apostolic nuncio in New Delhi and the president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India to seek their intervention to resolve the “grave issue.”
The conference president is Cardinal Oswald Gracias, who is also the archbishop of Bombay.
Fernandes wants the Bombay archdiocesan priests to follow the example of a Syrian Orthodox priest in Dubai who dug the grave for a parishioner who succumbed to Covid-19. Fernandes also pointed out that many priests in Italy had lost their lives because they performed funerals. “The priests of our Archdiocese are talking about circulars and guidelines. Where is our faith?” he asks.
The lay leader also says the archdiocese had initially asked the faithful to first cremate the Covid-19 victims and bring their ashes to bury in the cemetery, which he says is against the tradition. “We fought with the BMC, which allowed burial in all Mumbai metropolitan cemeteries. Now, the Catholic priests are afraid to conduct funeral ceremonies.”
The lay leader quoted Father Michael Goveas, chairman of Sewri cemetery, who asked the faithful to “dig your own graves” and perform the funeral prayers and blessings for their relatives. “Such a stance is totally demoralizing for the helpless and grieving families,” Fernandes points out.
Cyril Dara, secretary of Christian Reform Unite People Association, who leads the fight to get burials for Covid-19 victims approved at all cemeteries in the city, said, “The hospital hands over the body to the resident or local police station of the deceased. The police hand the body over to the deceased’s family for funeral rites. The families have to take it directly to the cemetery.”
“My contention is that if you feel aged priests are scared, every church also has younger priests whom they could send,” he added.
Archdiocesan spokesperson Father Nigel Barrett told Mid-Day that rules around the last rites had never changed, irrespective of Covid-19.
“It is possible that some times the priest cannot travel to the cemetery due to travel restrictions, but blessing of a Covid-19 patient’s body has never been an issue. I myself have blessed a few. I don’t know if priests are scared but there is no such order from the archdiocese. We have told priests not to touch the body — which is the protocol that needs to be followed as per BMC — but other than that you can bless with holy water and perform all the last rites.”
Father Innocent Fernandes, parish priest of Andheri’s Sacred Heart Church, said, “We don’t go to the hospital or crematorium or burial grounds that are not under our church. Usually, bodies are brought to the church cemetery. Burial of COVID-19 patients’ bodies was not allowed here but the BMC recently announced that burials are now allowed at all cemeteries.”