Confession of unusual sins

[Donxyz]

Is it a mortal sin to knowingly have your baby baptized by a minister of another faith if you are Catholic- married in a Catholic Church and your spouse is nonCatholic? What commandments of God have you broken?

 

[Sgt_Sweaters]

If married in the Catholic church, one of the stipulations is that you raise your children Catholic, correct? If I’m right, then, yes, it’s sinful.

Breaking of vows, I suppose.

 

[dsproule]

Why would you even want your baby baptized by anyone else. The fact is that you believe and care enough about your faith that you would ask the question. You already know the answer. Go to confession.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

The rules for mixed marriages require the Catholic to do his or her utmost to raise the children of that marriage as Catholics. It is not an absolute requirement. To have a child baptized in another faith is not, in and of itself sinful – but may require the Catholic party to do some soul searching about whether or not this was the best solution to the question of which faith the child would receive. If it is bothering you, bring it up in confession so you can deal with it with the help of a priest.

Deacon Ed

 

[Joseph_Bilodeau]

Donxyz:

Is it a mortal sin to knowingly have your baby baptized by a minister of another faith if you are Catholic- married in a Catholic Church and your spouse is nonCatholic? What commandments of God have you broken?

Sin, possibly, depending on circumstances. For a protestant chaplain in a hospital to baptize a baby thought to be in danger of death would not be a sin on the part of Catholic parents. To formally baptize a baby not in danger of death in a non-Catholic church in deliberate disobedience to the Catholic Church would certainly be sinful for Catholic parents aware of their serious obligation to have their children baptized into the Catholic Faith.

Mortal sin, possibly, depending on circumstances. At the time of the baptism, did you know the obligation for Catholic parents to have their children baptized into the Catholic Faith is a serious obligation? If so, did you freely choose to disobey this obligation, or were there other factors that may have impeded your capacity to freely choose to obey?

addendum: I was presuming both parents were Catholic. As Deacon Ed pointed out, situations in which one parent is not Catholic may introduce elements which may prevent the Catholic parent from fulfilling this obligation, through no fault on the part of the Catholic parent.

 

[Catholic2003]

From the current 1983 Code of Canon Law:

Canon 1366 Parents, and those taking the place of parents, who hand over their children to be baptised or brought up in a non-catholic religion, are to be punished with a censure or other just penalty.

In the 1917 Code of Canon Law, the penalty was excommunication.