Denial of Catholic Funeral Rites Copyright © Mmaju Eke (2014) and Irregular Marriages All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by means of in Igboland electronics, mechanical, electrostatics, magnetic tape, photocopying, (A canonical-pastoral analysis of cc. 1176 and 1184 CIC) recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Contact: [email protected] ISBN: Dissertation, Klaus Mörsdorf Canonical Institute, Ludwig-Maximilians- University Munich, Germany, 2013. Mmaju Eke Acknowledgement I owe the almighty God immense gratitude for my being and what he has decided to do with me till today. I give Him praise and everlasting honour. My Local Ordinary Bishop Dr. Gregor Maria Hanke OSB, the Bishop of Eichstaett Diocese, Germany, who believed in me and gave me the opportunity to undertake this studies in Jurisprudence even at my age. Also my Professors at the Klaus Mörsdorf Canonical Institute of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich/Germany Prof. Dr. Dr. Stephan Haering OSB, Prof. Dr. Dr. Helmuth Pree and Prof. Dr. Dr. Elmar Güthoff for their invaluable assistance throughout my study years at the Institute and the permission to publish this work as a product of the Institute. My thanks also go to my good friend Asst. Prof. Dr. Marinus Iwuchukwu of the Dept. of Liberal Arts and Dedication Theology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, U.S.A. for reading through the work before it was presented. To Mrs Ursula All those gentle departed Catholic Souls, who were Förtsch, Rev. Frs. Jonathan Okafor, Cyril Okeke, Matthew Kalu, unjustly denied Catholic burial rites. Resquiescat in Jude Nnanna, Michael Ukpong, Rev. Fr. Drs. Okechukwu Hilary pace-God knows you better! Ochulor, Ogbuagu Gabriel Okoko and Solomon Obasi and all those who in any way helped to make this work a reality and especially those who responded to my questionnaire during the field work, I say thanks a million times and may God reward you all. Mmaju Eke Preith, January 2014 iii iv Foreword Table of Contents Dying, death and burial are particularly sensitive issues in every Foreword………………………………………….........................v human society. The confrontation with earthly mortality raises very difficult questions, which are generally not easy to deal with, and Acknowledgments .......…………..........………………………....iv which often demand a great deal of emotional and mental strength on Abbreviations …………………….....………………………........x the part of those directly affected. Introduction……………...........................................................…xii Religious convictions can therefore be of immense value in dealing with and overcoming the pain of death. At such critical points in the personal and family life, many people look onto the Church for Chapter 1: Premises and Terminologies ……...................…….….1 support and comfort. Death and dying in every individual case pose 1.1 Igboland ………………………......................…………....1 therefore an enormous pastoral challenge for the Church and her ministers, who in order to confront this challenge must turn to the 1.2 Death and Funeral Rites in Igboland ……..…...…….......11 Church's teaching on faith and her legal system, which is also the 1.3 (Full) Catholic Funeral Rite…….............…...………......18 product of this teaching on faith. i) Funeral Mass and Church Funeral……….………….......19 Dr. theol., Lic. iur. can. Mmaju Eke, who as a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Eichstätt/Germany is active in the pastoral ministry and ii) Full vis-à-vis- not full burial rites………………..……...22 ecclesiastical judicial system examines the pastoral situation in his iii) Catholic Burial Laws in Owerri Ecclesiastical Province..28 native Igboland in Nigeria as it concerns the burial of persons who at the moment of their death are living in a canonically invalid 1.4 Irregular Marriages………………………….……...........31 marriages. He undertakes a critical and constructive analysis of the prevalent pastoral practice and offers well-grounded, profound and Chapter 2: Marriage in Igboland ……………………………......37 adequate canonical suggestions which are of great significance and help towards a review, reform and correction of the burial laws in the 2.1 The notion of Marriage in Igboland ……………….........38 affected region. 2.1.1 Marriage and Procreation ……………………….............40 2.1.2 Marriage Ceremonies …………………………...............44 Rev. Fr. Prof.Dr.Dr. Stephan Haering OSB 2.1.3 Choosing a Marriage Partner………….....……………....45 Munich 3rd December 2013 2.2 Traditional Marriage (and its legal implications in the Feast of St. Francis Xavier society) ..............................................................................46 a) Iku Aka N'uzo…………......………………………......47 b) Ime Ego…………....….……………............………... 48 c) Ino Nzuzu……....………………………..................... 50 v vi d) Igba Nkwu (Traditional Marriage proper)……..…..... 51 3.6.4 Right to Church Funeral Rites (c. 213 in conjunction with 2.3 Polygyny………………………………………............... 54 c. 1176 CIC)………………………..................……….. 103 2.3.1 Causes of Polygyny………………………………….......56 3.6.5 Obligation to celebrate Church Funeral Rites (c. 530, 5° in i) Childlessness………………………………..................58 conjunction with c. 1176 CIC).....…………………....... 104 ii) Lack of Male Issue…………............………………....59 iii) Socio-economic reasons………………………...........59 Chapter 4: Denial of Catholic Funeral rites (c. 1184 CIC/ c. iv) An Unhappy Marriage……………………………......60 1240/1917)…….............................................................. 107 2.4 Pastoral Reflections A Dialogue between Theology and 4.1 The Code of Canon Law 1983 (CIC)……..………..….. 112 Culture 62 4.2 Those to be denied Church funeral rites……………..... 116 Chapter 3: Catholic Funeral Rites ……………............................67 4.2.1 Apostates……………………..……………………....... 116 3.1 Theological Foundations of Church Funeral Rites............68 4.2.2 Heretics……..………………………………………..... 118 3.2 Historical developments of Church Funeral Rites.............74 4.2.3 Schismatics………………………..........……………... 120 3.2.1 Judaism……………………………………......................75 4.2.4 Public Sinners……..…………………………………... 121 3.2.2 Early Christian Era………………………………............77 3.2.3 Ordo 49…………………………......................................78 Chapter 5: Auxiliary interpretative materials ……………….... 127 3.2.4 The Rituale Romanum of 1614 ………………………....79 5.1 Between 1917 and 1983……………………....….......... 127 3.2.5 The New Roman Funeral Ritual (1969)……………........83 5.2 Document 16 of 29th May1973 - Removal of people living in 3.2.6 Order of Christian Funerals (1989)…………....…...........86 irregular marriages from the group of the people to be denied 3.3 Theological Arguments of OCF …………………….......87 Catholic Funeral Rites...................................................... 128 3.4 The Funeral Liturgy Pastoral Reflections on the Church 5.3 Abrogation of c. 1240 § 1/1917 (Decree of the same Burial Rites........................................................................91 Congregation (20th September1973)…………..…..........132 3.5 Prayer at the Final Commendation………….....…….......94 5.4 Guides for Interpretation (cc. 17 & 18 3.6 Canonical Reflections on the Church Burial Rites..……..96 CIC)…...………............................................................. 133 3.6.1 C. 1176 CIC...................………………………………... 96 (i) c. 17 CIC……………………………………..... 133 3.6.2 History of the Canons on Church Funeral (1917 to 1983) 98 (ii) c. 18 CIC…………………………................…. 137 3.6.3 The Genesis of c. 1176 CIC………………………...…..101 5.5 Sign of repentance before death……………………...... 141 vii viii 5.6 Principle Nr. 3 of the Codex-Review-Commission…….142 ABREVIATIONS 5.6.7 Omnium in mentem Semel catholicus, semper catholicus........................................................................ 144 AAS Acta Apostolica Sedis AfkKR Archiv für katholisches Kirchenrecht 5.6 Salus animarum (c. 1752 CIC)………………………… 147 apconst. apostolic Constitution apexhort apostolic exhortation Chapter 6: Evaluation and Conclusion...........…………....…… 149 c. canon cc. canons 6.1. Facts of the matter.........……….......…………………... 150 CCEO Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium (Code of 6.2. The Law………..………………………………….........151 Canons of the Eastern Churches) 6.3. The Arguments………………………………………… 151 CIC Codex Iuris Canonici (The Code of Canon Law) CLD Canon Law Digest 6.4 Conclusion…….…………………………………................152 CLSA Canon Law Society of America Appendix/Questionaire ………………………………...............154 CmCICRec Pontifical Comminssion for the Revision of the Code Bibliography………………………………………………....... 158 of Canon Law (Pontificia Commissio Codicis Iuris) Comm Communicationes decr. decree DOL Documents on the Liturgy ed. editor et. al. et alii (and others) GS Gaudium et Spes hrsg. Herausgeber (editor) Jur The Jurist KStuT Kanonistische Studien und Texte littcir Circular letter MK Münsterischer Kommentar OCF Order of Christian Funeral (the English version of the Ordo Exsequiarum) OE Ordo Exsequiarum p. page PastBl Pastoralblatt PCILT Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts pp. pages SC Sacrosanctum Concilium ix x SCDF Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith SCDW Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship Introduction SchCIC Schema Codicis Canonici SCConc Sacred Congregation of the Council n Nigeria and especially in the south-eastern part of the country SECAM Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and (precisely in Igboland) people who live in irregular