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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Exhuming Saint's body	Clement	Friday, April 25, 2008
Question: I read in the newspaper today that the church had exhumed Padre Pio’s body. I have one question in my mind once I’ve read the news. I’ve always thought that once we die, we should let our body decompose naturally, in a sense “from ash to ash dust to dust”. Why is it that the church exhumes the saint’s body? It would be great if you could explain what’s the church’s teaching and practice on handling a deceased’s body especially those of saints. Thanks.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Clement: The Church must exhume the body of saint candidate to examine it to be sure the saint died a holy death, to see is there was any foul play or a suicide, plus to see if the saint may be an incorruptible, and to provide relics for devotion, and to offer the entire body itself for veneration, etc. There was one man, don't remember who, that everyone thought was a Saint. When the Church investigated him for possible Sainthood they exhumed the body. What they found disqualified the man for Sainthood. They found that the man had been buried alive and that he paniced and scratched at the coffin until his fingers were ripped apart. While this is understandable for the normal person, a saint would have resigned to his plight and not have panic like this. The body of a decedent is to be treated with great respect as it was the temple of the Holy Spirit and the flesh of a child of God. It therefore deserves to be treated with dignity. The handling of a saint's body is done with equal dignity and respect. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Exhuming Saint's body

Clement

Friday, April 25, 2008

Question:

I read in the newspaper today that the church had exhumed Padre Pio’s body. I have one question in my mind once I’ve read the news. I’ve always thought that once we die, we should let our body decompose naturally, in a sense “from ash to ash dust to dust”. Why is it that the church exhumes the saint’s body? It would be great if you could explain what’s the church’s teaching and practice on handling a deceased’s body especially those of saints. Thanks.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Clement:

The Church must exhume the body of saint candidate to examine it to be sure the saint died a holy death, to see is there was any foul play or a suicide, plus to see if the saint may be an incorruptible, and to provide relics for devotion, and to offer the entire body itself for veneration, etc.

There was one man, don't remember who, that everyone thought was a Saint. When the Church investigated him for possible Sainthood they exhumed the body.

What they found disqualified the man for Sainthood. They found that the man had been buried alive and that he paniced and scratched at the coffin until his fingers were ripped apart. While this is understandable for the normal person, a saint would have resigned to his plight and not have panic like this.

The body of a decedent is to be treated with great respect as it was the temple of the Holy Spirit and the flesh of a child of God. It therefore deserves to be treated with dignity.

The handling of a saint's body is done with equal dignity and respect.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum