Funeral eulogies banned in Irish Catholic diocese

Image caption The directive suggests personalised tributes could be paid at the cemetery

Funeral eulogies are to be banned in one of the largest Catholic dioceses in the Republic of Ireland.

The new directive was issued to priests in the diocese under the bishop of Meath, Dr Michael Smith.

Bishop Smith said he wanted to avoid "dumbing down" at Catholic funeral services and that the focus should be on the Mass.

At some Catholic funerals friends or relatives of the deceased contribute to the eulogy with personalised poems, readings and stories about their loved one.

The bishop said he did not feel the church was the appropriate location for appreciations or eulogies but suggested they may be more suitable after the rite of committal in the cemetery or at a later stage.

The bishop's directive also stresses that secular songs and readings devoid of a Christian content are out of place in the funeral liturgy.

Father Derek Derby of the diocese of Ashbourne is one of those who will be expected to follow the new directive.

He said that he would support the policy as it similar to what they have been working within the diocese for the last 15 years.

'Integrity of Eucharist'

"The context of the funeral Mass in the church should be focused entirely on the celebration of the Eucharist," he said.

"What were trying to do is focus on the essence of the Christian funeral rite.

"The essence is, of course, two things. One is to support the family, through prayer and the community, but also the other function of it is that we support the person on their journey to salvation.

"What we are trying to do then is maintain the integrity of the Eucharist."

Fr Derby said they are not saying there is a ban on eulogies

"I suppose that people's understanding when they hear about a funeral is that they focus entirely on the funeral Mass but the rites of Christian funerals begin long before that.

"You have the vigil for the deceased, the wake house and the removal and, of course, the prayers of commendation at the graveside," he said.

"So we're saying look, there are opportunities for family members who want to pay a personal tribute to the deceased but, let's maintain the celebration of the Eucharist so that we don't blur the lines between the sacred and the secular for want of a better expression."

'Religious and psychological'

Consultant clinical psychologist Roger Bailey said many people find comfort in personalised expressions throughout the funeral.

"I think the importance of being able to deliver the eulogy during the Mass would depend upon the individual family as a whole," he said.

"The timings could be very significant to them, that it is included as part of the funeral, but this could vary."

Mr Bailey said the funeral has both a religious and psychological function.

"The function of a funeral mass would be the religious essence which may cross over with the psychological one.

"But certainly the psychological one is there to help people with the process of moving towards the pain of loss, acknowledging the loss and remembering the person who died, and those are highly individual and personal things.

"From a psychological point of view the more that the funeral can be personalised, and can reflect the individuality of that person and their lives and what they meant to the people around them the better."