What Do Different Faiths Say About Human Composting and Water Cremation?

For many people, how a body is cared for after death is a religious question. Human composting and water cremation are new, so most faith traditions haven’t issued formal guidance on them. This article reports what is documented and says plainly where we found nothing. It isn’t religious guidance, and it can’t replace asking your own clergy.

What is the Catholic position?

The Catholic position is the only formal one we found, and it is clear.

The U.S. bishops’ 2023 statement. In March 2023, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine issued a statement, “On the Proper Disposition of Bodily Remains,” evaluating the two newer methods. It concluded that alkaline hydrolysis and human composting “fail to satisfy the Church’s requirements” for proper respect for the bodies of the dead. Reports describe the bishops saying that, unlike flame cremation, these methods do not show adequate respect for the human body or express hope in the resurrection, and that both leave nothing that could be properly interred. As the statement describes it, after alkaline hydrolysis the body has been dissolved in a liquid that is treated as wastewater, and after composting nothing distinguishable remains to be laid to rest in a sacred place.

The broader Catholic framework. The bishops applied a 2016 Vatican instruction, Ad resurgendum cum Christo, which says cremation is not prohibited but that the Church continues to prefer burial. The statement doesn’t change the Catholic view of flame cremation: it is permitted unless chosen for reasons contrary to the faith, and the ashes are to be kept in a sacred place. See Catholic funeral traditions.

Other Catholic voices. The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has opposed bills to legalize water cremation, with its executive director saying alkaline hydrolysis “fails to treat the body with dignity and respect.” New Jersey’s Bishop David O’Connell wrote in 2025, when his state legalized composting, about the Church’s teaching on the subject. Before the 2023 statement, positions weren’t uniform: one archbishop, Michael Jackels of Dubuque, issued a statement in 2021 supporting both methods as “green options,” while acknowledging that other bishops considered them offensive and disrespectful. The 2023 national statement is the more recent and authoritative one.

If you are Catholic, speak with your parish priest or diocese, who can advise on your situation, including funeral rites.

What about other traditions?

We searched for official statements on human composting and water cremation from Jewish, Muslim, Orthodox, Protestant, and other bodies. We did not find authoritative ones. That doesn’t mean those traditions have no view. It means we couldn’t find a published position to report, and we did not want to guess one.

What we can say:

• One reference source says the Eastern Orthodox Church does not allow cremation. We found no statement on water cremation or composting specifically
• Many faith traditions have established teachings on how the body should be treated and buried or cremated, including how the body is prepared and how remains are honored. Our guides describe those teachings, such as Jewish views on cremation and embalming, Muslim funeral traditions, and Christian views on cremation by denomination. Those guides do not address these two new methods, and you shouldn’t assume the same answer carries over
• For traditions that place weight on specific rites at the time of death, such as washing and shrouding, the practical question is also whether a provider can accommodate them

How can I find out what my tradition says?

1. Ask your clergy or religious authority directly, using the specific names: “human composting (natural organic reduction)” and “water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis).” Terms like “green burial” mean something different (a full-body burial)
2. Ask what the method actually involves. Some objections depend on details, such as what happens to the remains and the liquid; our articles on human composting and water cremation describe them
3. Ask about funeral rites. Even if a method isn’t accepted, ask what your community’s rites would look like and whether a funeral or memorial can still be held
4. Talk with family. If relatives hold different views, say what you want and why in advance; see interfaith families planning
5. Write it down. If your faith leaves your choice open, note your reasoning for your family

Add this to your Final Day Plan: any religious guidance you want followed, which clergy member to consult, and which methods you want your family to avoid.

Practices vary by community, tradition and family. Everendium provides general guidance and encourages families to consult their faith or community leaders where appropriate.