Duties of Parents and Guardians

Duties of Parents and Guardians in Reference to Baptism.—(a) As to Administration of Baptism.—Parents are obliged under grave sin not to expose their children to the loss of salvation by undue delay of Baptism (see 2344, 2630). If there is danger of death, a child must be baptized at once; if there is no immediate danger of death, the child must nevertheless, on account of the absolute necessity of Baptism, be baptized as soon as possible. Some moralists consider a needless delay gravely sinful if it exceeds three or four days; others, if it exceeds ten or eleven days. Since infants can be baptized in the womb, a mother is not obliged to undergo the Caesarean operation to ensure Baptism; but she may permit the operation for the sake of a more certain Baptism, unless her obligations to husband or other children will suffer on account of the danger to her life. If a mother dies in pregnancy, the fetus should be extracted and baptized. The duty here rests with the relatives and the physician (Canon 746).

(b) As to Details of Baptism.—Parents should choose suitable names for their children, avoiding such as are obscene, ridiculous, or impious. It is advisable that the name of a Saint or of some other person distinguished for holiness be chosen, for this will be of a spiritual advantage to the child and an edification to others. Parents have the right to appoint the sponsors of their infant children, and should choose only those who are canonically admissible. If Baptism has been administered at home, the parents should, if the child survives, bring it as soon as possible to the church for conditional Baptism, or for the baptismal ceremonies (Canons 759, 760).