In the last month Catholic funerals have led to controversy. Many Catholics complained that Carl Williams was allowed burial in a Catholic Church. And some victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church expressed anger that bishops and priests in robes glorified the funeral of a priest who had been charged with sexual abuse of minors, but who died before the case could be brought.
These negative responses to different funerals may reflect a changing understanding of funerals in the Catholic Church, aligning it more closely to the approach of the broader society.
A generation or so ago, Catholic funerals emphasised very strongly the relationship of the dead with God and their salvation in heaven. People prayed that God would forgive their sins and receive them into everlasting life. The funeral liturgy consoled the family by encouraging their hope that the dead person was with God, and by allowing them to experience the solidarity of friends united with them in prayer. The virtues and the human foibles of the dead person may have been mentioned, but not emphasised.
Central to Catholic funerals, too, was the reality of God's judgment. It was not taken for granted that all the dead went to heaven. Furthermore, those who were repentant, but whose lives were sinful, faced a painful spell in purgatory.
Catholic funerals continue to include prayer for the dead, whose relationship to God and life after death remain central. But the mourners pray less that they be forgiven their sins and enjoy eternal life. That is taken for granted. The celebrations focus more on remembering their life, thanking God for the quality of their lives, and consoling the living by recalling the dead person's life. These are important and good things to do.
These changes make Catholic funerals more like non-religious funerals. They also focus on the life of the dead, so reassuring those who grieve them. The central part of funerals is usually the eulogy by friends and family. Eulogies have become more numerous, representing the dead person from as many angles as possible. It is not uncommon for video and audio tapes of the dead person to be played, reminding and committing to memory.
The focus on the life of the dead person makes funerals of notorious malefactors problematic. When all involved in the funeral see themselves as sinners, brought together to pray for God's mercy upon another sinner, it will seem natural