Baptism for Child of Unmarried Parents

[dominikus28]

I recently watched a film (The Rosary Murders) in which a priest refuses to baptise a child because it is out of wedlock. Does church law prohibit the baptism of a child out of wedlock?

 

[puzzleannie]

No, although the priest may delay baptism if the parents do not give evidence of intent to raise the child Catholic, which is a canon law requirement.

the movie is fiction, based on a fictional book series about a Catholic priest who also solves murders. the writer of the book (a former priest) had it right, the movie was not very true to the book. Just because a priest or any Catholic does something in a work of fiction, does not mean that action is in accord with Church law.

In general the writer of the book (he is now deceased, William Kienzele) was very accurate in describing Catholic law and practice, although through a liberal lens, as he was writing about events in a liberal diocese in very liberal years, 70s & 80s.

 

[fellowChristian]

Yes. Our parish has told family members no to baptism.
My brother-in-law and his wife were not married in the church.

Really some people are just doing it because it is just tradition. Not because baptism is salvic.

Good thing too!
It made them have their marriage blessed by the church!

Marriage in the church is forever. I guess they weren’t sure about it until they had kids?!

 

[Leopard]

Yes. Our parish has told family members no to baptism.
My brother-in-law and his wife were not married in the church.

Really some people are just doing it because it is just tradition. Not because baptism is salvic.

Good thing too!
It made them have their marriage blessed by the church!

Marriage in the church is forever. I guess they weren’t sure about it until they had kids?!

Your answer may be a little misleading. The Church does have the obligation not to baptize infants indiscriminately where a well-founded hope that the child will not be raised Catholic, which is something the parent(s) and sponsors promise to do at baptism. One indication that such hope may not exist would be if neither parent is actively practicing the Catholic faith, one symptom of which may be non-obedience to the marriage laws of the Church.

This symptom is not in itself an impediment to baptism, however. There may be such cases in which at least one parent does practice his or her faith and intends to raise the child as a Catholic, in which case the Church should not withhold baptism and also provide the parents with any assistance necessary to do so and to bring their marriage into conformity with the Church if applicable.

 

[Leopard]

…The Church does have the obligation not to baptize infants indiscriminately where a well-founded hope that the child will not be raised Catholic, which is something the parent(s) and sponsors promise to do at baptism…

I goofed, then missed the window to edit my post. I meant to type

The Church does have the obligation not to baptize infants indiscriminately where a well-founded hope may not exist that the child will be raised Catholic.

What can I say? I can think faster than I can type and sometimes the fingers get sloppy trying to keep up.

 

[Sina]

I have a friend who was baptised as an infant to a mother who was not married. She had gotten pregnant while in university and never married the father but was a devout catholic who had gone astray.

I also know a Catholic couple who did not marry in the church and when their children were born, the priest asked them why they hadn’t married in the church? So they had their marriage blessed and then their babies were allowed to be baptised. It quite surprised them.

 

[rayne89]

My Godchild was born to two teenagers. A protestant teen mother (my bestfriend’s daughter) and a Catholic (rebellious, confused, poorly parented) teen father. The paternal grandmother arranged for the baby to be batized by a priest friend. The priest did not even meet with the child’s parents before the baptism. I knew this was very unorthodox. My husband and I could have refuse the role of Godparents, but that wouldn’t have stopped the baptism. And then the child would be left with less than practicing Catholic Godparents.

I sent an email explaining in detail what my serious responsibilities were as a Godparent, to my bestfriend (the maternal grandmother). My friend and her daughter (the baby’s mom) are very happy with us in the role of Godparents and welcome the responsibilty we have to help this child grow in the faith.

This child is dear to my heart and while most priests would have refused such a baptism I feel God’s hand is at work here. To the best of my ability I will work diligently to pass on and educate this child in the faith.

To answer your question even if the parents aren’t married usually if there is reasonable hope that child will be brought up Catholic most priests will baptize the child.

 

[sandraladeda]

I would hope that most cases, they would give the benefit of the doubt and allow the child to be baptised.

My own mother learned at the time of her father’s death that her parents had never married. Yet at some point in her infancy, someone decided to baptise her in the Catholic Church, send her to Catholic Schools, and from an early age, she walked herself to church every Sunday. She married my Catholic father and raised 4 Catholic children.

What if someone had barred her from baptism?

I also have a very Catholic mother-in-law, who has been instrumental in seeing to it that some of her grandchildren, whose parents have fallen away form the church, are all baptized, catechized, and receive all their sacraments. She lives about 12-14 hours away from these grandkids, yet these children hae managed to grow up with their faith.

In my parish, I have known people who, while not fully catechized, were baptised Catholic as infants. As adults, when they have yearned for a spiritual home, the one thing they have to go on is the fact that they were once baptised in the Catholic church, and the logical place for them to begin their search is, guess where? I have met such people in our RCIA program.

I just think it is very tough to judge who should or should not get baptised, and I think it would be extremely cruel to withold the sacrament.

imho

 

[Brooklyn]

Fr. Groeschel told a story about a conversation he had with Mother Teresa about this subject, and her opinion, for what a holy woman’s opinion is worth, is that the child basically has nothing to do with the fact that he/she was born out of wedlock and should definitely be baptized. Why should the child be punished for what the parents do?

One important part of baptism, though, is that the parents must promise to raise the child as a Catholic. If the parents will not promise that, there will be no baptism. As far as I know, that is the only impediment.

Mary

 

[peary]

I was witness to a “mass baptism” of eleven children (most of them newborns) all at one time in Mexico City. Most of the parents were not married. Most of the godparents were (go figure!).

 

[puzzleannie]

the canon law issue here is not the marital status of the parents, it is the assurance that the child will be raised Catholic, and the consent of at least one parent, which must be present or the priest may not baptize. That assurance can come from the parents, godparents or other family members who pledge to take care of it.

 

[franciscanhobbi]

No, although the priest may delay baptism if the parents do not give evidence of intent to raise the child Catholic, which is a canon law requirement.

the movie is fiction, based on a fictional book series about a Catholic priest who also solves murders. the writer of the book (a former priest) had it right, the movie was not very true to the book. Just because a priest or any Catholic does something in a work of fiction, does not mean that action is in accord with Church law.

In general the writer of the book (he is now deceased, William Kienzele) was very accurate in describing Catholic law and practice, although through a liberal lens, as he was writing about events in a liberal diocese in very liberal years, 70s & 80s.

The 50’s too

 

[peary]

I was witness to a “mass baptism” of eleven children (most of them newborns) all at one time in Mexico City. Most of the parents were not married. Most of the godparents were (go figure!).

Many years ago I too witnessed a mass baptism at a Catholic Church in Mexico. Most of the parents were not married, but yes, the godparents were, which I found ironic.

The way it was explained to me by the priest is that they do not wish to forbid anyone in such a situation to be baptized because, perhaps later down the line, they will return to the Church and not feel abandoned.

 

[Phemie]

No, although the priest may delay baptism if the parents do not give evidence of intent to raise the child Catholic, which is a canon law requirement.

the movie is fiction, based on a fictional book series about a Catholic priest who also solves murders. the writer of the book (a former priest) had it right, the movie was not very true to the book. Just because a priest or any Catholic does something in a work of fiction, does not mean that action is in accord with Church law.

In general the writer of the book (he is now deceased, William Kienzele) was very accurate in describing Catholic law and practice, although through a liberal lens, as he was writing about events in a liberal diocese in very liberal years, 70s & 80s.

I’m a mystery book aficionada & loved his. It was in them that I first leaned what a sacrarium was & the impediment to ordination presented by illegitimacy in the 1917 Code of Canon Law.

 

[puzzleannie]

Many years ago I too witnessed a mass baptism at a Catholic Church in Mexico. Most of the parents were not married, but yes, the godparents were, which I found ironic.

The way it was explained to me by the priest is that they do not wish to forbid anyone in such a situation to be baptized because, perhaps later down the line, they will return to the Church and not feel abandoned.

don’t know why this old thread was resurrected, but the reason the godparents, if married, are married in the Church is because that is a canon law requirement for godparents. It is not a canon law requirement for the parents, although well founded assurance (in the prudential judgement of the pastor) that the child will be raised Catholic, is required.