to think taking photos of someone in a coffin is the height of disrespect?

[SnoozingFox]

Totally understand that for Catholics this is a very sad time and many of them wish to pay their respects by filing past the coffin in St Peter's.

SO many people in footage just shown on the news taking photos on their phones. I mean. WTF?

There’s a lot about the changes following the Second Vatican Council I don’t agree with, cremation being one item!

@TheTigerWhoCameToBrunch do you see organ donation as desecration of the body? What do you think of cultures that have funeral pyre?

Personally I don’t see organ donation as a desecration of the body.
I just don’t like cremation because it’s so sudden and violent and a living person is reduced to a handful of ash within hours. I want a proper grave to visit.
Funeral pyres? Barbaric and undignified. But then I’m someone who doesn’t believe all cultures are equal.

45 years ago we had a little business glazing photographs onto plates. We made 7 of a much loved grandad in his coffin which were despatched by the customer all over the world to relatives who couldn't get back in time to attend. I thought it was very thoughtful of them.

Please make sure to check that the cremations are timely. It's scandalous how long bodies are stored for after going down the hatch, in some cases. And the right ashes aren't necessarily delivered.

I don't disrespect your choice, I just don't trust this process because of evidence of poor practice that has made the news.

It's just a difference in views about death. The same as some people think its shameful not to have them buried within a certain time frame, some think cremation is shameful etc.
Photos of the dead aren't uncommon at all as a memory of the person, and to many the pope will have been very important to their life.

Are you Catholic?
Doesn't sound it like it.

This part of the ritual of death and remembrance in the Catholic Church.

This is how it's done.
If you don't like it, I suggest you ignore it.

❤️

our approach to death is massively different to other cultures. We just like to judge because we don’t deal with it in the same
way. There are some cultures who keep their loved ones in a room for so many days and relatives pop in and have a chat. We really do make it taboo and if it doesn’t fit with our expectations then it’s morbid or disrespectful. Death can be a celebration! I appreciate that there are those who do it for the wrong reasons but this isn’t a new thing and it’s known that this is a thing, I’d say we need to stop describing things that don’t conform to our expectations in such a way. I’m sure that other cultures judge us for things too!

Not so long ago we propped corpses up for a family photo before they were interred - I would say horses for courses

Oh and let’s not forget the death mask - making a plaster cast of some ones face after death - the world is a fascinating place and no where is the difference between cultures more apparent than in the ways we mark deaths

I’m sorry - you don’t believe all cultures are equal? Please would you explain this statement ?

It’s the pope. I’m sure he would expect all good Catholics to take a photo, frame it and display it proudly.

Many, many Catholic churches in Italy display the 'miraculously preserved' relics of saints in glass cases in their altars. It's reasonably common for there to be lights that come on if you put a coin in a slot. There are certainly cultural differences regarding the respectful treatment of corpses!

Oh, so it’s a sin because come the day of judgement there will be no body to resurrect? I think what with God being, you know, omnipotent, that wouldn’t be too much of a problem for Him.

Your own family member perhaps, not otherwise.

Sadly some of the mourners there will be those for whom it is grief tourism or some form of performative grieving.

It’s literally not though. Several people have told you it’s the norm in their area of the UK. It might not be the norm for you but that doesn’t mean it’s “extremely rare” in the UK as a whole.

You're the one saying sin...

I'm saying love of bodiliness...

I can't believe you actually typed that I really can't.....

I see the daily fail have picked up this thread 🙄 getting your leads from us are you, you lazy bastards

It’s interesting how others see these images
Ive never regarded the image of the Sacred heart as bloody or ‘opening up his chest to reveal his heart’….In reality it represents the image of Gods Love.

The stations of the cross are about the journey to crucifixion, resurrection and the saving of souls. So again I’ve always seen those as his path to salvation.

It’s interesting how they are viewed by others though

I wouldn’t want to be cremated. None of my family have been. I’ll be going in the ground like the rest of them. I like the idea of knowing they are there when I visit the graves.
I accept peoples choice though and I think it’s good the church is trying to give way on some things.