Q:Can a priest refuse to
christen a child born out of wedlock? (Mason Neck, Va.)
A: The answer — which may not be
the one you were expecting or wanted — is, “It depends.” Simply that the
child’s parents are unmarried would not justify refusing a baptism, and I would
call Pope Francis as my witness on this.
In 2014, on the feast of the
Baptism of the Lord, Pope Francis was reported by the Italian press as having
baptized the child of an unmarried couple in a ceremony in the Sistine Chapel.
That would have squared with what Pope Francis, in 2009 while still a cardinal
in Argentina, was quoted as telling the Italian magazine 30 Giorni: “The child
has absolutely no responsibility for the state of the parents’ marriage. And
often a baptism can be a new start for the parents as well.”
There may, however, be other
circumstances that would warrant delaying a baptism. The church’s Code of Canon
Law requires that, for an infant to be baptized, “there must be a founded hope
that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion” (No. 868.1.2).
Priests vary somewhat as to just
what evidence is needed for that assurance, but pastoral sensitivity is always
critical; I personally am inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to the
parents.
Nearly all parishes require
parents to attend a class or two of baptismal preparation, which can help to
bring them back to regular church attendance and sometimes, if the
circumstances permit, to have a marriage blessed in the church. (And even if
there is virtually no likelihood that the parents will bring the child to Mass
regularly, sometimes a grandparent is willing to step into that role.)
Questions may be sent to Fr.
Kenneth Doyle at askfatherdoyle@gmail.com
and 30 Columbia Circle Dr., Albany, N.Y. 12203.