Deceased Non-Catholic having Catholic Funeral?
My Son-in-Law's Grandma recently passed away. She was a non-Catholic, but her DIL is extremely religious and is arranging Catholic funeral services for her. Her husband just throws up his hands and let's her do whatever. Their choice, but I didn't think the Catholic Church would even allow something like this. The deceased woman also wanted to be cremated. I didn't think this was allowed in the church either. I don't know how she is doing any of this, but she is extremely active in the church and goes there every day, almost all day.
After seeing all this, both my daughter, and her husband, are starting to get worried about their decision to not baptize their son when he is born in May. Will, or can, Grandma have him baptized without their consent? Neither of them are Catholic now.
CurtEastPoint
(18,548 posts)Canon 1183.3 provides a clear answer. A baptized person from a non-Catholic church may be permitted to have Catholic funeral rites, if (a) a minister from his own church is unavailable; (b) the diocesan bishop does not disapprove; and (c) the deceased person did not give any indication during life that he did not want such a funeral.
Re: Baptism... you gotta have the parents and godparents present so no, granny cannot have the kid bappied w/o their consent.
Re: Baptism w/o Catholic parents, I read this: One of the requirements for the baptism of children is:
Quote:
... that there be a well-founded hope that the child will be brought up in the Catholic religion. If such hope is truly lacking, the baptism is, in accordance with the provisions of particular law, to be deferred and the parents advised of the reason for this (canon 868 §1 2°, Code of Canon Law).
If neither parent is Catholic, and if the parents are either uninterested in conversion or unable to become Catholic for some reason, a baptismal minister might rightly question whether the parents can raise the children within the Catholic faith.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)The deceased did not practice any religion in her lifetime (her grandson said), so probably would not have talked about any religious funeral, especially to her daugher-in-law. Implied consent?
I didn't think a baby could be baptized without parental consent.
rug
(82,333 posts)Canon Law:
THOSE TO WHOM ECCLESIASTICAL FUNERALS MUST BE GRANTED OR DENIED
Can. 1183 §1. When it concerns funerals, catechumens must be counted among the Christian faithful.
§2. The local ordinary can permit children whom the parents intended to baptize but who died before baptism to be given ecclesiastical funerals.
§3. In the prudent judgment of the local ordinary, ecclesiastical funerals can be granted to baptized persons who are enrolled in a non-Catholic Church or ecclesial community unless their intention is evidently to the contrary and provided that their own minister is not available.
Cremation has been allowed for some time but the preference is that the ashes be buried, as a sign of respect, rather than scattered or stored.
Only the parents can consent to have their child baptized.
That ain't kosher.
I hope your family finds the Church truly pastoral at this sad time.
Fortinbras Armstrong
(4,473 posts)There was a nasty case in Bologna (at that time part of the Papal States) in 1858.A Jewish boy, Edgardo Mortara, had been surreptitiously baptized by a Catholic maid who worked for the family. Word of this came to a papal official. Now, the law said that a Catholic child could not be raised by non-Catholics, and the official ordered the police to seize the boy and take him away.
The case of Edgardo became an international cause célèbre. Pope Pius IX refused to return him to his family, and his parents saw him exactly once after he was taken. Edgardo's case caused a massive reaction throughout Europe and the Americas, where even most Catholics saw it as kidnapping, pure and simple. It certainly brought about increased popularity for the campaign by Mazzini and Garibaldi to establish a secular Italian state.
So now, baptizing a child without the parents' consent is forbidden by Canon Law.
No Vested Interest
(5,156 posts)She raised a large family of children in the Catholic faith - had them attend weekly Mass and Catholic education as far as possible.
Her children arranged the funeral, apparently with no problem.
okasha
(11,573 posts)who'd been a friend of my family for decades officiated at my Baptist mother's funeral. (She had issues with the local Baptist congregation and the way they fiddled with the property tax laws.) Not quite the same as a formal funeral in a Catholic church, but very much appreciated by our family.
ColesCountyDem
(6,943 posts)Other posters have set out the Canon Law on the subject, but it basically comes down to what the priest decides to do, since most priests and their bishops aren't 'jerks'. I've known several people who were Christians, but not Catholic, who were nonetheless 'buried from The Church', as the colloquial expression says.