Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Baptism Message-ID: Date: 2 Aug 89 01:35:34 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA Lines: 79 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article carlos@beowulf.JPL.NASA.GOV (Carlos Carrion) writes: > We'd like to get some of your thoughts on baptism. Both my wife and >I are catholic ( at least we were brought up as catholic...), and we'd like >to baptize our baby girl who is about 2 weeks old. Since my wife is >divorced, the catholic church will probably give us a hard time ( or so >says my wife ) on this and my wife does not want to go through any questions >or comments that she might feel uncomfortable with. "Instruction on Infant Baptism" is from "Pastoralis Actio", a document issued from the Vatican by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, dated October 20, 1980. It's rather long, and reviews much history and detail about infant baptism and its general desirability. However, there is one section which might be interesting considering your position, if only to get an "official" Vatican reading. I do not think you should get a "hard time" about your situation, although I think that the pastor will rightfully be concerned about your child's upbringing insofaras it relates to her future spiritual development. I think your general status as inactive Catholics will be more important that the fact that your wife is divorced and remarried--after all, we're talking about the child here, not your wife. Anyway, here's the excerpt from the Vatican document: It sometimes happens that pastors are approached by parents who have little faith and practise their religion only occasionally, or even by non-Christian parents who request baptism for their children for reasons that deserve consideration. In this case, the pastor will endeavour by means of a clear- sighted and understanding dialogue to arouse the parents' interest in the sacrament they are requesting and make them aware of the responsibility they are assuming. In fact, the Church can only accede to the desire of these parents if they give an assurance that, once the child is baptized, it will be given the benefit of the Christian upbringing required by the sacrament. The Church must have a well-founded hope that the baptism will bear fruit. If the assurances given--for example, the choice of godparents who will take sincere care of the child, or the support of the community of the faithful--are sufficient, the priest cannot refuse to celebrate the sacrament without delay, as in the case of children of Christian families. If on the other hand they are insufficient, it will be prudent to delay baptism. However, the pastors should keep in contact with the parents so as to secure, if possible, the conditions required on their part for the celebration of the sacrament. If even this solution fails, it can be suggested, as a last recourse, that the child be enrolled in a catechumenate to be given when the child reaches school age. These rules have already been made and are already in force, but they require some clarification. In the first place, it must be clear that the refusal of baptism is not a means of exercising pressure. Nor can one speak of refusal, still less of discrimination, but rather of educational delay, according to individual cases, aimed at helping the family to grow in faith or to become more aware of its responsibilities. With regard to the assurances, any pledge giving a well-founded hope for the Christian upbringing of the children deserves to be considered as sufficient. Enrollment for a future catechumenate should not be accompanied by a specially created rite which would easily be taken as an equivalent of the sacrament itself. It should also be clear that this enrollment is not admittance to the catechumenate and that the infants enrolled cannot be considered catechumens with all the prerogatives attached to being such. They must be presented later on for a catechumenate suited to their age. In this regard, it must be stated clearly that the existence in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults of a Rite of Initiation for Children of Catechetical Age in no way means that the Church considers it preferable or normal to delay baptism until that age.