Do we HAVE to raise our children Catholic?

[LORDNOAR]

I have been dating a delightful Catholic young lady with whom I’ve talked a great deal about marriage. I am currently in the process of enrolling in RCIA and have full plans to convert to Catholicism, yet I am unsure if I want to be contractually locked in to raising my children Catholic. How strict are the regulations on raising children Catholic if the parents were married in the Catholic Church?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

If you and your friend marry while you are a non-Catholic, you will be informed of her obligation to do her best to raise the children Catholic. You would not be obliged to sign anything, but your friend would be obliged to make the promise to try to raise the children Catholic. If you marry after you become Catholic, it will be asked of both of you during the ceremony if you intend to accept any children God gives you and to raise them according to the faith.

If you are not sure that you want to raise children Catholic, I can only recommend that you postpone any marriage plans to a Catholic until you make your decision. If you decide that you cannot in good conscience raise your children Catholic, then that will be indication that you should not marry a Catholic since you cannot ask her to violate her conscience by not raising her children Catholic.