The news that Archbishop Tarcisius Ziyaye of the Archdiocese of Lilongwe will be buried in Maula Cathedral has attracted mixed reactions with many questioning the rationale behind the move.
It all started when a video footage which went viral on social media showing people digging inside a Catholic Cathedral of Lilongwe (Maula), specifically at St. Joseph adoration chapel
According to Catholic doctrines, a Bishop who dies while still in office can be buried inside the church or at a special resting place specifically prepared for Bishops.
Father Petros Mwale of Mzuzu Diocese also backed the move in a write up made available to faceofmalawi
This what father Petros wrote;
BURYING A BISHOP IN THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH
By Rev. Fr. Petros Mwale (Mzuzu Diocese – Malawi)
INTRODUCTION
“Fr. Petros, what is the meaning of burying the Bishop in the Cathedral Church? I understand Arch-Bishop Tarcizio Ziyaye is to be buried in Maula Cathedral, is this not desacralizing the church of God?” – Robert Zunda (Blantyre Arch-Diocese, Malawi)
RESPONSE
Dear Robert, a Bishop is an ecclesial leader of a diocese. The word Bishop is from an old English word, biscop from Latin word Episcopus and Greek Episkopos: Epi-above + Skopos – looking = an overseer. The office is Biblical: Acts 20:17-28 ; 1 Peter 5:1 1 Peter 5:2 ; Phil 1:1 ; 1 Timothy 3). Christ is figuratively called the bishop (episkopos) of souls (1 Peter 2:25).
Bishops are a much more select group: while there are about 400,000 catholic priests worldwide, there are only about 5,000 bishops. While priests get parishes, bishops get cathedrals, from which they oversee a number of local parishes. A cathedral is a principle church of the diocese, with which the Bishop is officially associated.
WHY BURY THE BISHOP IN THE CATHEDRAL
Canon Law # 1242 says: “Bodies are not to be buried in churches unless it is a question of burying in their own church the Roman Pontiff, cardinals, or diocesan bishops, including retired ones.”
According to this law of the Catholic Church, a Bishop who dies while still serving or retired (at the age of 75) is supposed to be buried in a cathedral, a place called “crypt” – an under underground cemetery in the cathedral church. A retired bishop is buried in a Cathedral Church of his last see. In the event, a cathedral has no enough space to bury the Bishop then he should be buried just outside the cathedral church.
Auxiliary (bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop) and other Titular bishops (who are not appointed to head a diocese) are excluded from burial in Cathedral churches.
THE ORIGIN OF THIS TRADITION
For the Catholic Church, this concept of building crypts was drawn from the persecution of early Christians and the believers who were buried in the caves when they died, these caves were worshiping places as well. The faithful have preserved this tradition to date.
CONCLUSION
Dear Robert, we are fortunate to have such a special place in Maula Cathedral. The archbishop laid the foundation for the entire Catholic community. He is our ancestor in the faith, and he rests in peace at the Cathedral where he worked so hard for his faith community.
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Receive my Priestly Blessings from St. Cecilia Catholic Parish (Mzuzu Diocese – Mpherembe)
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Rev. Fr. Petros Mwale – Feedback: +265884150185 (WhatsApp only)
SOURCES
Ceremonial of Bishops, London: Liturgical Press, 1989.
Coriden, James A., Thomas J. Green. And Donald E. Heintschel. The Code of Canon Law: A text and Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 1985.
The New Catholic Bible, with inserts by Paul thigpen and Dave Armstrong, Devore & Sons, Inc.: Wichita, Kansas, 2011.
