Forbidden to attend Catholic Baptism

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That the OP’s “dear friend “ was incorrect when he suggested that it was the Church’s teaching or rules that would bar the OP from attending.
 
This was the OP’s statement:

“However, I was told that I was unable to attend her baptism ceremony with my same sex partner because it would create a scandal and undermine the Church’s moral authority”

No one said it was Formal Church Teaching that gay couples cannot attend a Church service.

We do not know how the message was exactly related to the OP.

What we can assume, is that the parents did not want the OP and partner to attend. I certainly can understand that. I would wish for those who attend to be supportive of the Baptism and not be living in bold contradiction to Baptism itself!

Furthermore, the OP expressed an eagerness to meet the child. A Baptism is not the ideal place to meet your close friend’s child, it’s to support their faith formation and celebrate Baptism!
 
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rcwitness said:
No one said it was Formal Church Teaching that gay couples cannot attend a Church service.
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He was told he could not attend and he asked the forum if that was church teaching. It is definitively not. That’s should be the entirety of the whole thread.
 
OP hasn’t been heard from for almost a day.

CAFers still be fighting.
 
Not sure fighting is the right description.

Also, the OP and many others may be reading. To reduce the answer to simply, “no, the Church does not bar anyone from liturgical services” is less than adequate.

One poster here already expressed a view that Catholicism is about all different kinds of beliefs! So scandal has already occurred and done damage because of people not honoring her Teachings!

The church is open to all people, and is a call to people to repentant of sin. Baptism services are the Sacrament and celebration of being washed of sin and joining the Church in calling one another out of sin and into the freedom of Christ.

No one is rejected, but those who embrace sin are rejecting this grace which is conferred in Baptism and Spirit.
 
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I’m reading along here, but I’m on vacation so don’t have too much time to respond very thoroughly/at all.

I was invited to the baptism, I asked if my partner could come too, and the father (after five days of silence) responded to my text with that it would be inappropriate, a scandal, and he’s obligated as a Christian to prevent scandal or leading people astray, etc.

Per Church teaching, it sounds like he had no jurisdiction to ban people from the event.

Per the reasoning (it’s a scandal, he’s obligated to prevent it, etc.), I’m getting mixed responses, ranging from “it’s completely unfounded, he’s nuts” to “he had every right to think that, just not say it” to “he’s totally right”

Is his reasoning sound, per Catholic teaching?
 
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rcwitness said:
No, but if a homosexually active friend wished to come to my child’s Sacrament, I would ask them not to. It’s a contradiction. They cannot simultaneously be living in a gravely sinful lifestyle without remorse and even claiming that it is good, and still support my child’s Sacrament.

It’s very fundamental.

If you want to support… then profess the faith.
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Yet, even in their sin, they are willing to to come to church, to be with others in a place where they know that God is found. What an opportunity for God’s grace to work in this individual.

This very situation came up for me when my last baby was born. A friend, though not a close one, asked to come to my baby’s baptism. She was raised Catholic, though she’s not really practicing, but she respects the church and it means a lot to her. She came to the baptism, refrained from communion out of respect for me and the Church, and was deeply touched by the baptism. She and I have an ongoing dialogue about the church’s teaching on homosexuality and there is no confusion on her part about what I believe. I figure that if she wants to put herself in church from which she has long been alienated) for something as awe-inspiring as the baptism of a baby, then that desire is from God himself. Who am I to stand in his way?

I am so glad that I was not made to feel unwelcome and unloved at family baptisms when I was living in a marriage outside of the Church. I know from personal experience that our Lord speaks to us in these moments. Sometimes it is a soft whisper or gentle nudge. At other times, in my own case, it felt more like getting hit over the head with a board. It was at a family baptism that I felt the conviction for my sin and a longing to return to Communion. Surely, God would have spoken to me again and again until I listened, but I listened in that church at that time, thanks be to God. I certainly wouldn’t want to be responsible for depriving anybody else of that opportunity for Grace.
 
Hopefully you and he can talk about this.

Try to appreciate why he has requested you do not come with your partner, and try to express how you want to support his child’s faith formation.
 
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Sure, let them both come: just not as a couple. Letting them come together is normalizing gay “marriage” to children. Seeing them both there as a couple will confuse kids and expose them to this stuff that they really shouldn’t have to see at such a young age.
 
Episcopalian said:
Per the reasoning (it’s a scandal, he’s obligated to prevent it, etc.), I’m getting mixed responses, ranging from “it’s completely unfounded, he’s nuts” to “he had every right to think that, just not say it” to “he’s totally right”
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His reasoning is within the realm of what a Catholic would call the prudential judgement of the individual. His reasoning was by no means opposed to church teaching, it is by no means explicit church teaching. The church definitely teaches that we are to avoid scandal. It definitely teaches that all sexual acts outside a marraige are sinful. If your attendence, with your partner, would cause scandal was a prudential judgement of your friend.

Which, of course, is why that answers on this thread are so varied.

I do not believe it would, if handled by all in the proper fashion. That is a result if past experience with a member of my family and his partner. At any family event, one would have thought his partner was just a good friend of the family. There was no explicit acknowledgement of the relationship and no “displays of affection” between the two of them. This went on for years with no scandal involved. Of course it took cooperation by all parties involved. But that is nothing more than my prudential judgement. You friend, quite legitimately, had a different opinion.
 
Jesus did not forbid the unrepentant sinners from hearing him

bokbok
 
He also admonished people who were choosing sin over following him (remember the rich man!). Then, when the Church was established, the Church was instructed to separate from immoral persons!

1 Cor. 5

But rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of immorality (porneia), or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Drive out the wicked person from among you.”

After admonishing a brother (Baptized Christian), and he refuses, we should not bring him into our religious ceramonies!
 
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Episcopalian said:
I was invited to the baptism, I asked if my partner could come too, and the father (after five days of silence) responded to my text with that it would be inappropriate,…
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You asked him if your partner could be, and he said no. I see no problem with that.

The father does not understand or has not explained properly the church teachings.

That you were considerate enough to ask opens you up to the denial. Regardless of the teachings involved.
 
By letting sinners attend religious ceremonies they might come to repent.

bokbok
 
I agree that general admittance is good. But personal, private invitations or requests to refrain is equally important!
 
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Personally if I wasn’t invited to a celebration, for whatever reason, I wouldn’t go. If someone wants to know the teachings of the Church on a specific issue that specifically involves them, I’d invite them to talk to a priest about it.

@Episcopalian, if you want to know what the Church teaches on this issue, I’d encourage you to talk to a Catholic Priest
 
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