Reverence for the sacredness of the human body

Because the human body is integral to the human person, it is difficult to think of a person apart from their body. “Thus, the Roman Catholic Church’s reverence and care for the body grows out of a reverence and concern for the person whom the church now commends to the care of God.” 

The long-standing practice of burying the body of the deceased in a grave or tomb continues to be encouraged as a sign of Christian faith. However, the church does not forbid cremation as a means of disposition of the body, unless it has been chosen for reasons which are contrary to church teaching.

~ All references taken from the Order of Christian Funerals, Appendix: Cremation; 1997