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Voices
Zita Ballinger Fletcher is a journalist and author, bilingual in English and German.
Politics & SocietyDispatches
Zita Ballinger Fletcher
Locating, identifying and burying these remains is no easy task and has been met with opposition for decades. Strong resentments are still present in countries whose people were victimized by the German army during World War II.
Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, Germany, and Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich and Freising distribute Communion during Cardinal Woelki's installation Mass at the cathedral in Cologne on Sept. 20, 2014. (CNS photo/Jorg Loeffke, KNA) 
FaithDispatches
Zita Ballinger Fletcher
“We are emphasizing through the synodal way the community and bonds of all believers—not the difference between clergy and laity. All of us are baptized and confirmed. All of us stand in the same mission to witness the Gospel,” Father Langendörfer said.
Cemetery by old church of St George in Reichenau Island, Germany. iStock photo
FaithDispatches
Zita Ballinger Fletcher
“These options are in no way Christian: to anonymously scatter ashes in nature, air or water; to install an urn in a private home or apartment; to bury remains in a private garden; or to divide ashes into multiple ‘remembrance objects,’” the bishops wrote, also criticizing the trend to convert loved ones’ ashes into jewelry.