Church’s Code of Canon Law on children’s Baptism

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Q. What are the requirements for having a child baptized in the Catholic Church? Specifically, do the parents have to be married in the Church to baptize their child in the Church?

Jesus’ last words to the Church were His command to go forth and baptize the peoples of all nations. The Church must always be faithful to this. Jesus also commanded us not to cast our pearls before swine. We have always understood that He was speaking of the sacraments, the holiest things we have, and thus He forbade us to dispense them to those who lack sufficient faith. We must be faithful to this one, too. That’s why the Church must refuse Communion to unbelievers and those who have excommunicated themselves through some kind of notorious, public sin.

When it comes to Baptism, the Lord’s instruction was quite explicit: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them...” (Mt 28:19) The discipleship must come first. Only after they have been instructed and made disciples can Baptism be given. Infants, however, do not seek Baptism, nor can they be instructed prior to it, so the Church must determine whether or not there’s a reasonable expectation that the child will be raised in the faith. The pastor who must make this determination looks for those indicators which best ensure that the faith will be imparted. This means that he must make some kind of judgment about the sincerity of child’s parents, basing that judgment on points such as whether or not they practice their faith, are raising their other children well, are providing a good, Catholic home life, etc.