BILL WILL BE PUSHED THROUGH TO ALLOW CREMATIONS

8/6/13

NICOSIA – A bill allowing cremation in Cyprus will be pushed through the House for a vote, the House Interior Committee announced yesterday.

Speaking to the media, committee chairman Yiannos Lamaris said the bill would finally give people living on the island the right to choose how their bodies would be laid to rest.

“Under the bill, cremations will only take place in specialised crematoria; however, we are still discussing whether these institutions should only be state run,” said Lamaris.

The chairman reminded that cremation has been legally sanctioned in France since 1887, in England since 1884 and in Spain and Portugal since 1940.

“We also wish to hear the opinion of representatives of the church who did not attend our meeting despite having been invited,” he added.

The Orthodox Church does not presently recognise the cremation of bodies as a religiously acceptable practice and will not perform funerals at cremations.Tabled before the House in November 2012, the bill also states that the remains of a body can only be cremated after a licensed physician has issued a death certificate and the family of the deceased has approved the process.

Legal proceedings are also in place to prevent undetected crime before cremation, as opponents have long argued that it can be used as a means to destroy evidence of murder.

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