Funerals
Like most religious funerals, a Christian funeral service is tailored to the person who has died. The service is usually carried out at a church, crematorium or cemetery and will include prayers, a sermon, readings, hymns and sometimes music or poems (see our guide to popular funeral songs and famous funeral poems). Additionally, a friend or family member may choose to deliver a eulogy as a tribute to the deceased.
Catholic beliefs about death
Catholics believe in the afterlife and that actions throughout their life will determine whether their soul goes to heaven, hell, or purgatory. Purgatory is for people who have committed forgivable sins in their lifetime; souls which have been repented can’t go directly to heaven, instead they must serve their time in a place or state of suffering (purgatory) before going to heaven. Purgatory is an official doctrine of the Catholic church and one of the main differences to the Protestant faith – another strand of Christianity.