The BBC feature on Greece, titled “Graveyard Overcrowding Stokes Cremation Debate in Greece”, focuses on problems concerning burials at cemeteries in Athens and Thessaloniki that are overcrowded. The cost of a permanent grave plot is at 100,000 euros, meaning that cremation – legalized in 2006 – would be a more viable option. Nonetheless, there are no crematoria in Greece due to opposition by the Church that views cremation as a violation of the human body.

As a result, limited grave space in Greece needs to be recycled. The renting out of grave plots typically is leased out for three years at 2,500-3,000 euros. After that time, families are called to the graveside to witness the exhumation. Families can either take the body of their loved ones at a communal storage area known as an ossuary or to a regional cemetary where there is no space. If no family member is present at the exhumation, the bones are dissolved in chemicals and remnants are placed at a common burial plot.

Committees in favor of cremation in Greece have spurted after families witness loved ones’ exhumations. Cremation would cost half the price of renting a grave plot for three years and would reduce both financial pressure and the emotional toll caused by exhumation.