Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria has no immediate plans to offer human composting following New South Wales Parliament’s approval of the practice, and has yet to decide whether it could accept remains produced elsewhere. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Chief executive officer Lauren Hardgrove said the organisation would consider the regulatory requirements and relevant Church guidance before determining its approach.
The Public Health Amendment (Terramation) Bill passed parliament on October 21 and received assent on Wednesday. Relevant regulatory provisions are not expected to commence for two years, allowing time to develop safeguards.
Terramation, also known as natural organic reduction, involves placing a body in an above-ground vessel with organic materials such as straw and mulch to accelerate decomposition into a large quantity of soil-like material.
This can then be offered to families with options including the planting of a memorial tree.
Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich, who introduced the legislation, has argued it would offer another choice amid concerns about funeral costs, burial space and cremation emissions.
“We are running out of burial space [and] that space can cost as much as $50,000,” he told media in June.
However, Ms Hardgrove said the potential effect on funeral costs and cemetery capacity remained uncertain.
It would depend on the cost of providing the service, demand and how families chose to manage and memorialise the resulting remains.
“As a Catholic organisation serving families of all faiths and beliefs, we will assess the implications as further details become available and seek appropriate Church guidance where relevant,” she said.
Whether families could bring remains produced through terramation elsewhere to its cemeteries would depend on the regulations and Church guidance.
Ms Hardgrove said the organisation had received no enquiries about terramation and did not anticipate immediate changes to existing services.
Respectful treatment of the remains has also been raised in Parliament.
“Terramation should not simply become a human compost bin,” argued Liberal upper house MP Susan Carter during debate.
Clare Johnson, director of Australian Catholic University’s Centre for Liturgy, said human composting was incompatible with Catholic understanding of the dignity of the body and faith in the Resurrection.
“Anything that promotes care of the environment is a worthy initiative,” Professor Johnson said.
“But we do have a very different perspective on the way that human remains are to be treated.”
FULL STORY
Catholic cemeteries await church guidance on human composting (By Marilyn Rodrigues, The Catholic Weekly)
