More answers to readers’ queries and comments
We have made a further compilation of “Quick Answers” to questions which have arisen from searches of, or comments during the past couple of weeks, providing links to our blog posts addressing these issues.
General searches
| Question | Quick Answer | L&RUK Answer |
| burying cremated ashes time limit | No time limit, but for most faith groups, ideally burial as soon as possible following cremation. | Some crematoria charge for storage of ashes, pre-burial: see Time-limited storage of cremation “ashes”, (151215). |
| who arranges body to undertakers if public health funeral | Local authority, under S46-S48 Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 | Example of practicalities for one local authority here. |
| canon law thesis topics | How long is a piece of string? | We have only very limited data, here. Other Cardiff LLM (Canon Law) thesis topics in Journal of Ecclesiastical Law Society, 1994 to 2003, and 2004 to 2008. |
| fees for a person taking a funeral at a crematorium | CofE parochial fees for 2018 are here. | Perhaps check a survey such as: Funeral Costs 2017 Cremation and Burial Cost Index |
| explain comprehensively the principles of prerogative of mercy § | This sounds like an essay topic, so you’re on your own … | … and also this is not our area of expertise. |
| lawfully what happens if someone is burried in the wrong plot | Nothing, unless exhumation is sought. | Consecrated ground, (E&W), consistory courts; unconsecrated ground, Ministry of Justice. |
| do i have to be christened to be buried in a churchyard | No. CofE clergy have duty to bury anyone who dies within the parish. | Canon B 38 §2 Of the burial of the dead |
| when was bigamy made illegal in England? | Bigamy Act 1604 (1 Jac 1 c 11) created statutory offence of bigamy. | Prior to 1604 bigamy was contrary to canon law and dealt with in ecclesiastical courts. |
| Scottish burial grounds legislation | Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 | Scottish Government information here. |
Q&A on other areas of ecclesiastical law
Fr Z: ASK FATHER
Re-bless a ring that has been re-plated? Analogy with re-plated chalice, which some believe should be re-consecrated. For the ring, however, “It not hurt anything to bless the ring again. Necessary? Probably not“.
Can a diocesan priest say Mass in an SSPX chapel? “If the bishop is okay, and the SSPX superior is okay, then… why not? After all, if a church has to close for some reason, sometimes a neighboring Protestant church will generosity lend their space for Masses. If in Protestant churches, why not in a clearly Catholic SSPX chapel?“
Canon Law Made Easy, Cathy Caridi
How Did My Ex Remarry in the Church, Since We Never Got an Annulment? He didn’t; the “ex” in question and his new civilly-married partner received a blessing from an unquestioning priest at a foreign Catholic cathedral whilst on their honeymoon.
Links to sources of frequently sought data
- UK legislation, including CofE Measures: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/
- UK statistics, various areas: Office for National Statistics, (ONS)
For those not yet familiar with the architecture of the Church of England’s revised web site, we have posted some quick links to areas of potential interest to ecclesiastical lawyers (and clergy), here, (law & policy); here, (clergy and General Synod) and here, (legal opinions and other guidance).
Unless marked §, the questions are the search terms used, verbatim; questions arising externally to the blog, (twitter/other), are marked ‡; the dates in parentheses are in the format (yymmdd). As stated in our General Terms and Conditions, at L&RUK we do not give legal advice, or purport to do so.
Thanks for this light relief!
I though L&RUK readers deserved a short break before tomorrow’s “Ecclesiastical cases round-up” and “Deliberate breach of faculty conditions” later in the week!