Priest Ivanov explained what threatens a person’s soul after cremationtranslated

Priest Sergei Ivanov explained how the Russian Orthodox Church views the cremation of the dead and what, according to Christian doctrine, happens to the soul after death. According to the clergyman, the destruction of the physical body does not mean the end of human existence. The soul of the deceased goes to God, and its further fate is determined not by the method of burial, but by the earthly life of the deceased.

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The priest emphasized that in God's judgment, a person's actions, his faith and repentance matter. The choice between traditional burial and cremation does not affect this assessment. Thus, from the point of view of the church position he outlined, the way one treats the body does not determine the fate of the soul.

Ivanov also recalled the official document of the Russian Orthodox Church “On Christian Burial,” adopted in 2015. It gives preference to the traditional burial of the body. At the same time, the church allows a different method of burial when a regular burial is not possible. “But if this is not possible, then cremation is not condemned,” the clergyman explained.

After cremation, it is recommended to bury the ashes of the deceased in the ground or place them in a columbarium.…