Them bones, or lack thereof

- Paris catacombs

I saw an interesting post at dotCommonweal - The Empty Tomb: Cardinal Newman’s last laugh?. Another article, this one at Independent Catholic News - Report from 1890 sheds light on Newman's empty grave - had some insight into why the bodies, bones and all, might have so quickly decompiled ......

A vivid first hand description of the funeral of Cardinal Newman published in a Birmingham newspaper the day afterwards may help to explain why no bones where found when his grave was excavated last Thursday.

A long report in the 'Birmingham Daily Post' on Wednesday August 20 1890, ended: "When the rites had been achieved, the crowd without the gates was suffered to enter by batches and see the grave; and then the coffin was covered with mould of a softer texture than the marly stratum in which the grave is cut.

"This was done in studious and affectionate fulfilment of a desire of Dr Newman's which some may deem fanciful, but which sprang from his reverence for the letter of the Divine Word; which, as he conceived, enjoins us to facilitate rather than impede the operation of the law 'Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return'." ......

But you've got to wonder (or I do, having watched way too many episodes of The X-Files) if there's not some convoluted Vatican conspiracy responsible for the lack of remains, or at least some cool event like ascension :) because bones usually do tend to last. An example is in the book I just finished reading, The Magician, where the main characters end up the famous Paris catacombs, surrounded by piles and piles of bones.

At any rate, I'm glad it appears that the man who wrote ... I wish, with all my heart, to be buried in Fr Ambrose St John's grave - and I give this as my last, my imperative will. ... didn't have his wish disregarded after all.