www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship The Other Sacramental Mysteries Orthodox couple baptising a child in a Catholic parish

Hello everyone.
This has probably been answered elsewhere, but I searched to no avail.
This is a hypothetical, however unlikely, but could you help me out?

If an Orthodox couple wanted to baptise their baby and there was no orthodox church or clergy anywhere nearby, could they have it baptised in a Catholic parish by a Catholic priest? I am thinking specifically of a latin parish here.

If this were to happen, what would the Catholic parish have to bear in mind?
I am thinking that the minister would have to be a priest, have permission to administer confirmation, and that a note would have to be made in the registry that it was a faithful of the Orthodox Church, as well as a document prepared for the parents to send to their home parish? Pretty much the same as if it was an Eastern Catholic baby in a Latin parish, right?

Or is this forbidden except in cases of emergency?

Any help would be appreciated. With the influx of Eastern Catholics and also orthodox into Portugal over the past years, I am preparing a guide for Latin Catholic priests who are asked to administer sacraments to Eastern Catholics, and thought I might include a note on what to do if both parents are Orthodox and unwilling, or unable, to seek out Orthodox clergy.

In such a case I think your note would indicate that the Orthodox parents in question work that issue out with their church.

You need to be careful with this one. Some Orthodox do not recognize Catholic baptisms. The best way would be to coordinate with bishops to determine which Orthodox jurisdictions would even allow their faithful for baptisms in a Catholic church.

Christ is Risen!!

Filipe YTOL,

I think your understanding of Baptism is separated from what it is. Baptism is an initiation into a specific ecclesiastical body as well as initiation into Christ's Mystical Body. One does not become "Orthodox" by being incorporated into the Catholic Church, no matter what one might wish or hope. I believe it would be a big mistake to tell Orthodox parents that their child would be considered Orthodox by being baptized by a Catholic priest.

There is also the consideration of confirmation/chrismation. It is not done as a matter of practice in the Catholic Church unless one is baptized and confirmed at the Easter Vigil as an adult. I doubt whether a Latin priest could receive permission to confirm in a regular case of an infant.

There is another consideration. At the baptism, the sponsors are asked if they will help the parents to raise the child in the Church. This is assumed to be the Catholic Church. So how could Orthodox parents and the child's sponsors answer that without lying?

Christ is Risen!!

This question reminds me of a case an Orthodox priest related to me many decades ago. Father had a relative who wanted him to baptize her child. However, the couple lived in an area that had no Orthodox church within miles. They wanted him to baptize the child at their home. His problem was that there was no possibility of the child--or the parents--being active members of an Orthodox parish. In other words, the child would not be raised as an Orthodox Christian because neither he nor his parents would have any chance of actively participating in parish life. Like Catholics, an Orthodox Christian needs to be a regular communing member of a parish. Baptism doesn't stand alone. It's not some medal we have that is something we receive and continue to live as if we had not received it. It incorporates us into Christ's Church--into a community--that continues to nourish us and build our relationship with the Lord.

Thanks guys, this has been very helpful!
I think I will suggest that if the situation ever does arise, priests strongly suggest the couple in question resolve it with their own Church authorities.
I am just working on a draft, if this guide goes ahead it will still have to be revised by experts in canon law (Latin and Eastern), and so forth.
Filipe