Q. 1. What is the position of the Catholic Church regarding human remains? Must the body be buried or cremated? Can a Catholic donate his/her body to science for research?

A. 1. The unwritten teaching of the Catholic Church demands that the dignity of the human body be respected. The Catholic Church does not object to anyone donating their body for scientific research, providing that respect is shown to the body during the research and that the human remains are properly disposed of at the end of the research.