The Covid period has brought a sea change to human life. People were forced to give up many habits they had hitherto followed. Many of the routines have changed drastically. These were also the days when people realised the ultimate truth that ‘life is the most important thing’. People were ready to abandon not only celebrations but also rituals. Churches that never closed had to close for months, not weeks. Funeral services without the presence of anyone other than close relatives became a painful sight during the Covid period. There have been instances in many places where relatives and volunteers had to run from pillar to post to bury the bodies of those who died of Covid.

Protests over the burial of Covid patients in church cemeteries have left many families in mourning. Meanwhile, the diocesan authorities started a new change in some places by cremating the bodies instead of burying them. Similar attempts were made in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur. The Diocese of Thrissur had issued a circular for the first time stating that the body can be cremated if it is not possible to bury it.
Now the foundation stone of a gas crematorium has been laid on the campus of Mulayam Damien Institute, Thrissur under the auspices of the same diocese. This will be the first gas crematorium of the Catholic Church in the state. The diocesan authorities came to the conclusion that the body could be cremated instead of being buried after a group of people stopped burying the body in the church cemetery at Thachudaparam in Iringalakuda diocese as the spread and death of Covid was on the rise. The Archbishop of Thrissur gave permission for this and sent a circular to the parishes. The bodies of 29 people who have already died of Covid have been cremated at the church cemetery. The diocese has decided to build a permanent crematorium in tune with the changing times in the wake of the epidemic. Even if cremated, the remains will be allowed to be placed in the cemetery of Church Cemetery according to Christian custom. Permission has been granted to bury the body in another church cemetery or on the premises of the house.

Humans all over the world have come to the present state after going through many changes over the time. It may be necessary to change many customs and practices according to the need of the hour. The Diocese of Thrissur has changed the tradition that had been followed for centuries. In tandem with scientific advances, human thinking and attitudes must also change. Many have been crucified in the past for proclaiming aloud the truths of the universe. Galileo, who discovered that the planets revolved around the sun, was placed under house arrest for the last time. The Catholic Church later had to accept that Galileo was right. How many great men like this have been crucified in every age? People must be prepared to accept any change that benefits the human and bring them good. Even if they are reluctant to accept it now, they will have to accept it later.