In response to the request of the bishops at the First Vatican Council[7], on May 14, 1904, Pope Pius X set up a commission with the Motu proprio Arduum sane munus («A really arduous task») to reduce these various documents to a single code[8], and present the normative part in the form of systematic short canons, who have been exempted from preliminary considerations. [9] «[In the process of canonization], any of the faithful may request that proceedings be initiated. Men may act on their own or through a duly appointed prosecutor; Women only through a prosecutor», Canon 2004, § 1 Before addressing specific questions about the reception of the sacraments by children, it is necessary to understand the general attitude of the Church towards the reception of the sacraments by the faithful. In short, canon law values and protects the right of Catholics to participate in their sacramental life. While recognizing the minister`s obligation to prevent unworthy participation in the sacraments, the canons strongly encouraged the reception of the sacraments as far as possible. On September 15, 1917, shortly after the promulgation of the 1917 Codex, Benedict XV promulgated the Motu proprio Iuris Canonici, which prohibited Roman Congregations from issuing new general decrees unless it was necessary to do so, and only after consultation with the Pontifical Commission responsible for amending the Codex. Instead, municipalities should give instructions on the codex canons and make it clear that they were explaining certain codex canons. [23] This was done so as not to render the code obsolete shortly after its publication. Can. 844 §1. Catholic ministers shall lawfully administer the sacraments only to Catholic members of the Christian faithful who, without prejudice to the provisions of §§ 2, 3 and 4 of this canon, receive them and may also receive them alone from Catholic ministers.
861, §2. §2. Those who are baptized in a non-Catholic ecclesial community may not be baptized conditionally unless, after examining the question and form of the words used in the baptismal ceremony and taking into account the intention of the baptized adult and the Minister of Baptism, there is a serious reason to doubt the validity of baptism. §2. If an ordinary minister is absent or disabled, a catechist or other person designated by the local teacher for this function, or in an emergency, any person with good intentions, legally confers baptism. Pastors of souls, especially the pastor of a community, must ensure that the Christian faithful learn the right path of baptism. On the other hand, the requirement of a «reasoned hope» is generally considered a more than sufficient reason for a pastor to delay the baptism of a child, for example because of the irregular marital situation of the parents. Although the child`s right to baptism ultimately outweighs the parents` duty to correct his or her marital status, leading to the sacrament attribution, the pastoral evidence is clear that many couples correctly address their own status in the Church as part of their child`s baptismal preparation. To address another issue, canon law does not require godparents, commonly referred to as «godfathers,» but the practice is highly recommended (Canon 872). A sponsor can be of both sexes, or there can be two godfathers of the opposite sex, but not two godfathers of the same sex (Canon 873).
Sponsors must be practicing Catholics, usually over the age of 16, and cannot be the parents of the person to be baptized (Canon 874 § 1). Non-Catholics cannot serve as godparents, although they may be admitted as official witnesses of baptism (Canon 874 § 2). 875 A person who performs baptism must ensure that there is at least one witness who can testify to baptism, unless a sponsor is present. Therefore, the 1917 Codex proposal in canon 737 that baptism is necessary – at least in the desire for salvation – is not binding on the universal Church or protected by infallibility. As for their law in canon 1239 that unbaptized catechumens can be buried Christians, this contradicts the entire tradition of the Catholic Church for 1900 years as to whether unbaptized people can be buried Christians. Determining the right age for confirmation is another type of problem. Most U.S. dioceses delay confirmation until the end of elementary school or even high school. There is evidence that such delays mean that many Catholics can never get confirmation. Without attempting to fully express all the views of this debate, it should be noted that at least some of the delays in granting confirmation are subject to canonical objections. Proof of this can already be found in Book II of the 1983 Code entitled «The People of God», which begins with a remarkable series of canons describing the fundamental rights and duties of believers in general and lay people in particular.
Among these provisions, canon 213, which affirms the «right of the faithful to receive the help of the holy pastors from the spiritual goods of the Church, in particular the Word of God and the sacraments», and canon 212 § 2, which recognizes the «right of the faithful to communicate their needs, especially spiritual, and their wishes to the pastors of the Church». Note: This canon does not speak of Catholic Masses or Catholic worship led by a heretic, but of non-Catholic or non-Christian (false) cults and rites. This is outrageous! This canon makes it possible to travel and attend a Jewish synagogue or Buddhist temple or Lutheran service, etc., etc., etc.