Denial of Catholic Funeral Rites and Irregular Marriages in Igboland - A canonical-pastoral analysis of cc. 1176 and 1184 CIC

Aug 20, 2026

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A canonical-pastoral study examines how the Catholic Church’s legal framework treats burial when the deceased lived in canonically invalid marriages in Igboland. Drawing on canonical norms, it evaluates prevailing pastoral practice surrounding funeral rites and identifies gaps between pastoral care and church teaching. The work offers structured, constructive canonical suggestions to support review, reform, and correction of burial laws in the affected region.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages91

Reading Time3 h 49 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter 1: Premises and Terminologies

Igboland

Death and Funeral Rites in Igboland

(Full) Catholic Funeral Rite

Irregular Marriages

Chapter 2: Marriage in Igboland

The notion of Marriage in Igboland

Traditional Marriage (and its legal implications in the society)

Polygyny

Pastoral Reflections: A Dialogue between Theology and Culture

Chapter 3: Catholic Funeral Rites

Theological Foundations of Church Funeral Rites

Historical developments of Church Funeral Rites

Denial of Catholic Funeral Ritesand Irregular Marriagesin Igboland (A canonical-pastoral analysis of cc. 1176 and 1184 CIC) MmajuEke Copyright © Mmaju Eke (2014) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by means of electronics, mechanical, electrostatics, magnetic tape, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. [Contact: mmajue@yahoo.com](Contact: mmajue@yahoo.com) ISBN: Dissertation, Klaus Mörsdorf Canonical Institute, Ludwig-MaximiliansUniversity Munich, Germany, 2013. Dedication All those gentle departed Catholic Souls, who were unjustly denied Catholic burial rites. Resquiescat in pace-God knows you better! iii Acknowledgement I owe the almighty God immense gratitude for my being and what he has decided to do with me till today. I give Him praise and everlasting honour. My Local Ordinary Bishop Dr. Gregor Maria Hanke OSB, the Bishop ofEichstaett Diocese, Germany, who believed in me and gave me the opportunity to undertake this studies in Jurisprudence even at my age. Also my Professors atthe Klaus Mörsdorf Canonical Institute of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich/Germany Prof. Dr. Dr. Stephan Haering OSB, Prof. Dr. Dr. Helmuth Pree and Prof. Dr. Dr. ElmarGüthoff for their invaluable assistance throughout my study years atthe Institute and the permission to publish this work as a product of the Institute. My thanks also go to my good friend Asst. Prof. Dr. Marinus Iwuchukwu ofthe Dept. of Liberal Arts and Theology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, U.S.A. for reading through the work before it was presented. To Mrs Ursula Förtsch, Rev. Frs. Jonathan Okafor, Cyril Okeke, Matthew Kalu, Jude Nnanna, Michael Ukpong, Rev. Fr. Drs. Okechukwu Hilary Ochulor, Ogbuagu Gabriel Okoko and Solomon Obasi and all those who in any way helped to make this work a reality and especially those who responded tomy questionnaire during the fieldwork, I say thanks a million times andmay Godreward you all. MmajuEke Preith, January 2014 iv Foreword Dying, death and burial are particularly sensitive issues in every human society. The confrontation with earthly mortality raises very difficult questions, which are generally not easy to deal with, and which often demand a great deal of emotional and mental strength on the part of those directly affected. Religious convictions can therefore be of immense value in dealing with and overcoming the pain of death. At such critical points in the personal and family life, many people look onto the Church for support and comfort. Death and dying in every individual case pose therefore an enormous pastoral challenge for the Church and her ministers, who in order to confront this challenge must turn to the Church's teaching on faith and her legal system, which is also the product of this teaching on faith. Dr. theol., Lic. iur. can. Mmaju Eke, who as a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Eichstätt/Germany is active in the pastoral ministry and ecclesiastical judicial system examines the pastoral situation in his native Igboland in Nigeria as it concerns the burial ofpersons who atthe moment of their death are living in a canonically invalid marriages. He undertakes a critical and constructive analysis of the prevalent pastoral practice and offers well-grounded, profound and adequate canonical suggestions which are of great significance and help towards a review, reform and correction of the burial laws in the affected region. Rev. Fr. Prof.Dr.Dr. Stephan HaeringOSB Munich 3rd December 2013 Feast of St. Francis Xavier v Table of Contents Foreword………………………………………….........................v Acknowledgments .......…………..........………………………....iv Abbreviations …………………….....………………………........x Introduction……………...........................................................…xii Chapter 1: Premises and Terminologies ……...........

FAQs

What problem does the study address regarding Igboland and funeral rites?

It focuses on situations where the deceased, at the moment of death, was living in canonically invalid marriages, leading to denial of Catholic burial rites. It then assesses the pastoral and canonical handling of these cases in Igboland.

Which canonical norms does the analysis rely on?

The study is framed as an analysis of CIC canons 1176 and 1184. These provide the legal basis for evaluating pastoral practice and burial decisions.

What outcome does the work aim to achieve for the Church in the region?

It offers critical and constructive canonical suggestions intended to support review, reform, and correction of burial laws in the affected region, improving pastoral care in line with church teaching.

Aug 20, 2026

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