Q: I know the rules for urns with ashes can be present for a celebration of a funeral Mass but I’ve never heard the reason why a small pall cannot be placed over them. If it is assumed that the ashes contain the whole body, why not the recognition that the body in cremated form was baptised as well?
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A: OCF 434 says, “The covering of the cremated remains with a pall is omitted.” But it does not explain why. The reason is probably related to the preceding paragraphs that frequently say we avoid using prayers that refer to honoring or burying of the “body” of the deceased (428 and 429), though again without explanation.
Presumably, the nature of the body has so changed that it is no longer visually recognizable as such. Similarly, since the pall represents the baptismal garment, which loses its impact when the body has become ashes.
These rules pertain to the funeral rites in the US. Other countries may have other decisions.