VATICAN CITY — The Vatican’s saint-making office has updated its rules governing the use of relics for would-be saints, issuing detailed new guidelines Saturday that govern how body parts and cremated remains are to be obtained, transferred and protected for eventual veneration. Bodily relics are an important part of Catholic tradition, since the body is considered to be the “instrument” of the person’s saintliness. But in 1963, the Vatican explicitly allowed cremation as long as it didn’t suggest a denial of faith about resurrection. The new instructions only cover the so-called “first class” of relics from the actual body of the saintly candidate. The church also recognizes second- and third-class relics, such as clothes and other materials that came into contact with the would-be saint’s body.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 16, 2017 17:37 UTC