← News feed Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)

Archpriest Ovcharenko explained whether cremation threatens consequences for the soul of the deceasedtranslated

September 29, 2026 · 1 min read

Cremation of a deceased person does not determine the posthumous fate of his soul, although traditional burial in the ground remains preferable from a Christian point of view. This explanation was given by priest Alexander Ovcharenko, touching on the issue of the church’s attitude to various methods of burial. According to him, what matters much more is the spiritual life of a person before death, and not what subsequently happens to his body.

Read: Russians face new restrictions: what will change from October 1

The question of the admissibility of cremation arises, among other things, in situations where there are not enough free plots in cemeteries or emergency circumstances, such as fires, interfere with the usual burial procedure. In such cases, relatives do not always have the opportunity to organize a traditional burial. However, choosing a different method of burial does not mean that the soul of the deceased is deprived of immortality.

Ovcharenko explained that Christian tradition presupposes respect for the human body, so burial in the ground is considered the most suitable option. At the same time, the archpriest emphasized that the eternal fate of a person does not depend on the way his remains are treated. For the most…

Source: rznonline.ru · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (2) 🌐 Show original

Богдана Тодорова

Thank you, Father. Precisely so — the soul is not saved or lost because the body is in the earth or ashes. What matters more is how one lived before, and not what they do with the bones afterward. In Rus', even at the cemeteries there is little space, so it is good to know that God does not judge us by our graves.

Fernando García

Thanks for the article. Father Ovcharenko explains it clearly: what really counts is how you lived, not whether you were buried or burned. There is almost no room left in our neighborhood cemetery, so it's good to know. My husband always said that in the end the soul goes where God wants, not where the body is.