Moderator Pledges Baby Cremation Support

The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Lorna Hood, has written to Lord Bonomy thanking him for his work chairing a Scottish Government independent commission into the cremation of babies across Scotland, and vowed the Kirk will do anything it can to help those affected come to terms with what has happened.

Lord Bonomy was appointed Chair of the Infant Cremation Commission after revelations at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh that the ashes of stillborn and premature babies were buried in the garden of remembrance without the parents’ knowledge.
The letter written on July 11 was sent in Mrs Hood’s capacity as Moderator and drew on her experience as a Chaplain at the Royal Alexandria Hospital, where her work involved pastoral support of women and families who had lost babies during pregnancy or shortly after birth.
Mrs Hood said: “As part of this work, I passed onto grieving families, in good faith, information that I had been given that no ashes remained after an infant cremation. This was also the general understanding of hospital staff. Some parents chose a burial when they heard this.
“I have really struggled to understand to why there was this alleged cover-up and have been distressed to read of the situation in Mortonhall and Glasgow. In my experience everyone in an infant death – medical staff, undertakers and crematorium staff – has shown always the utmost sensitivity.”
The Moderator hopes the Commission will discover the truth of what has happened. The Commission will aim to develop a consistent approach across Scotland for the disposal of ashes following the cremation of infants.
Mrs Hood said: “The Church of Scotland will do anything it can to facilitate people coming to terms with what many of us find inexplicable.”
The commission will not investigate individual cases.
Another inquiry, led by former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini, has been set up into practices at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh.

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