According to biblical teachings should Christians be allowed to cremate the corpse even in the time of pandemic?

It used to be in older days that the Church did not allow cremation for corpses. Even today, the Church still prefers burial to cremation. The reason for this reluctance from the Church is because of the great importance the Church gives to the dignity of the human body and the importance of the resurrection from the dead. Our bodies (along with our souls) are made in the image and likeness of God and have an incredible dignity. God himself took on human flesh in the Incarnation, and he continues to give his Body and Blood to us every time we go to the Eucharist. Furthermore, Jesus’ mission is one of healing and salvation–for our souls first and foremost, but inevitably for our bodies as well. At the time of the Last Judgment, all the dead will be raised–the righteous to eternal life, and the unrighteous to eternal punishment.

Burial has always been favored by the Church because it honors the dignity of the human body. It is our best attempt to preserve and honor the bodies of those who have died, since we still recognize that the human body is a gift from God which is also called to holiness. Bodies do decay over time, but at least the bones of the dead remain (although there are incredible and extraordinary cases where the bodies of a few saints have not undergone corruption).

Like mentioned before, until recently the Church did not accept cremation, because society’s overall attitude toward cremation did not match up with the dignity and importance of burial. Historically, cremations often were done by people who did not believe or hope in the resurrection of the body. Cremations can also be done in ways which are not Christian. Some people will keep the ashes of their loved ones, or sprinkle them around somewhere, or even turn the ashes into a household object! All of these go against the dignity of the human body–even if it’s only ash now, that body was a person, not an object for us to do with as we like. So these days, the Church permits cremation–but the body’s cremated remains must be treated with the same dignity as the body from which it came. The remains should be buried or placed in a mausoleum, ideally with some sort of tombstone or memorial plaque. All this is to keep the dignity of the human person and hope in the resurrection at the forefront.

Interestingly, the reason that the Church allowed cremation in the first place was for practical reasons. Sometimes, factors like disease, cost, or lack of space can interfere with a proper burial. So in fact, a pandemic would be a completely sensible circumstance for someone to choose cremation. But again, that cremation must be done with Christian motives and in a Christian manner.