The Catholic Church has permitted cremation since 1963, as long as it is not chosen for reasons contrary to Christian teaching (such as denial of the resurrection of the body). In 2016, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued further guidelines clarifying the Church's position.

While cremation is permitted, the Church still prefers burial of the body, because it more clearly expresses faith in the resurrection. The body of a baptized person was a temple of the Holy Spirit, and burial honors the dignity of the human body.

When cremation is chosen, the Church has specific requirements for the ashes: they must be kept in a sacred place, such as a cemetery or church columbarium. The ashes must not be scattered on land, at sea, or in the air; they must not be divided among family members; and they must not be kept at home or made into jewelry or other objects.

These rules exist because the Church wants to ensure proper respect for the remains and to maintain the connection between the faithful departed and the community of believers. Scattering ashes or keeping them at home can suggest a pantheistic understanding of death or a privatization of what should be a communal act of faith.

A funeral Mass can be celebrated with the body present before cremation, or with the cremated remains present if cremation takes place before the funeral.