A GRAVE ISSUE FOR CHRISTIANS IN KERALA
Ignatius Gonsalves.
From up above Dr Paul Christian must be sending a friendly wave of congratulation to Bishop Dr.James Anaparambil of Aleppy and a flying kiss to his flock, for putting the official stamp of approbation on his view concerning life and death. In life this Anglo Indian hailed as “the first Dentist of Quilon” was a staunch Catholic and always a good Samaritan. In death, he turned a revolutionary as he desired and willed to be cremated- not buried. And so was it.
Dr Christian was 77 when he died on Monday, 8 August 2006. Cremation was unthinkable for a typical Kerala Catholic then. Yet the mainstream media failed to report it promptly with the prominence it deserved. Probably they didn’t believe that “story” to be true. But thanks to my reporting team led by Alby Vincent, Jeevanaadam covered it with passion, quite professionally.
I think Indian Express, Kerala’s largest circulated English Daily then, came out with a detailed story, a full week after Dr.Christian’s cremation on Tuesday, 9th Aug.2006.Then it was as if the floodgates were opened. There was a discussion in Asianet with Venu as an anchor.
I had known Dr Christian from the early 1970s. By 1990’s he had become intensely Eco-Conscious. Crowded cemeteries and the injustices and disparities therein, had become a grave concern for him. He wanted to be cremated when he died! India’s culture and its manifold expressions always charmed him to reverential awe.
It was in 1995 that he discussed his preference for cremation with his wife Pamela and their four children.”He had done his homework well, both sociological and canonical”, revealed his sons Dr Kevin and Dr Roy, both of them renowned Dentists themselves.
Way back in 1963 Vatican had permitted cremation and Canon 1176/3 of the Roman Canon Law had been later incorporated into the Oriental Canon Law.
Pamela and children stoutly supported Dr Paul Christian’s view and Pamela herself wanted to be cremated when she died! .Both of them together submitted a petition to the then Bishop of Quilon Dr Joseph Fernandez , Seeking “special permission” for cremation when they die. There were several rounds of meetings with the Bishop and permission was granted in 1996 ie, ten years before Dr Paul Christian’s death!
Bishop Joseph Fernandez had retired when Dr Paul Christian died in 2006.It was Bishop Dr Stanley Roman the successor, who officiated the funeral rites of Dr Paul Christian at the parish church of St. Stephens, Quilon. Then the body was taken to the Hindu Crematorium and later the ashes entombed in the parish cemetery.
A Jesuit missionary from the US was cremated in Nepal in 1997, honouring his will and testament. This writer feels that this incident too had impacted Dr.Paul Christian’s steadfast interest in cremation.Fr. Thomas Edward Gafney(66) was found murdered in his office-residence, his throat slit. The much loved social worker-priest was a naturalised Nepali citizen and had willed that he be cremated when he dies as the custom of the land.
According to Kevin and Roy their Dad had desired and hoped that a good majority of Catholics would opt for cremation. But that didn’t happen despite clarifications that the Congregation for the doctrine of faith had made on 15 August 2016, allowing the option for cremation.
Jeevanaadam too had thought of a mindset- change among the community when we professionally played up the ‘ Paul Christian story’. Hence the historic Alleppy initiative enables people like me to smile with renewed hope. Dr Paul Christian might be smiling at us too.
