Catholic Online Forum

Hello, My husband is catholic, and i am eastern orthodox, we would like to our child to be baptized into both religions, is this possible? would the child be able to be baptized into the orthodox church, then have a communion in the catholic? we would just really like yo incorporate both religions into our life.

The Child can only be one of the two because you cannot "follow the Pope of Rome" and "not follow the Pope of Rome" at the same time.
Most Orthodox churches will not give Communion to a Catholic unless they convert but I hear that it all depends on the priest.
Also, you can only baptize your child once- but I also hear that some Orthodox do not accept the Catholic baptism, but again it is all depends on the priest and church.

If there is a problem it will be with the Orthodox Church since the Catholic Church has this to say:

Sharing in Sacramental Life, especially the Eucharist
a) Sharing in Sacramental Life with members of the various Eastern Churches
122. Between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Churches not in full communion with it, there is still a very close communion in matters of faith.125 Moreover, "through the celebration of the Eucharist of the Lord in each of these Churches, the Church of God is built up and grows in stature" and "although separated from us, these Churches still possess true sacraments, above all—by apostolic succession—the priesthood and the Eucharist...".126 This offers ecclesiological and sacramental grounds, according to the understanding of the Catholic Church, for allowing and even encouraging some sharing in liturgical worship, even of the Eucharist, with these Churches, "given suitable circumstances and the approval of church authorities".127 It is recognized, however, that Eastern Churches, on the basis of their own ecclesiological understanding, may have more restrictive disciplines in this matter, which others should respect. Pastors should carefully instruct the faithful so that they will be clearly aware of the proper reasons for this kind of sharing in liturgical worship and of the variety of discipline which may exist in this connection.
123. Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage suggests, and provided that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, it is lawful for any Catholic for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick from a minister of an Eastern Church.128
124. Since practice differs between Catholics and Eastern Christians in the matter of frequent communion, confession before communion and the Eucharistic fast, care must be taken to avoid scandal and suspicion among Eastern Christians through Catholics not following the Eastern usage. A Catholic who legitimately wishes to communicate with Eastern Christians must respect the Eastern discipline as much as possible and refrain from communicating if that Church restricts sacramental communion to its own members to the exclusion of others.
125. Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments of penance, Eucharist and the anointing of the sick to members of the Eastern Churches, who ask for these sacraments of their own free will and are properly disposed.
In these particular cases also, due consideration should be given to the discipline of the Eastern Churches for their own faithful and any suggestion of proselytism should be avoided.129
126. Catholics may read lessons at a sacramental liturgical celebration in the Eastern Churches if they are invited to do so. An Eastern Christian may be invited to read the lessons at similar services in Catholic churches.
127. A Catholic minister may be present and take part in the celebration of a marriage being properly celebrated between Eastern Christians or between a Catholic and an Eastern Christian in the Eastern church, if invited to do so by the Eastern Church authority and if it is in accord with the norms given below concerning mixed marriages, where they apply.
128. A member of an Eastern Church may act as bridesmaid or best man at a wedding in a Catholic church; a Catholic also may be bridesmaid or best man at a marriage properly celebrated in an Eastern church. In all cases this practice must conform to the general discipline of both Churches regarding the requirements for participating in such marriages.
b) Sharing Sacramental Life with Christians of Other Churches and Ecclesial Communities
129. A sacrament is an act of Christ and of the Church through the Spirit.130 Its celebration in a concrete community is the sign of the reality of its unity in faith, worship and community life. As well as being signs, sacraments—most specially the Eucharist—are sources of the unity of the Christian community and of spiritual life, and are means for building them up. Thus Eucharistic communion is inseparably linked to full ecclesial communion and its visible expression.
At the same time, the Catholic Church teaches that by baptism members of other Churches and ecclesial Communities are brought into a real, even if imperfect communion, with the Catholic Church 131 and that "baptism, which constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn... is wholly directed toward the acquiring of fullness of life in Christ".132 The Eucharist is, for the baptized, a spiritual food which enables them to overcome sin and to live the very life of Christ, to be incorporated more profoundly in Him and share more intensely in the whole economy of the Mystery of Christ.
It is in the light of these two basic principles, which must always be taken into account together, that in general the Catholic Church permits access to its Eucharistic communion and to the sacraments of penance and anointing of the sick, only to those who share its oneness in faith, worship and ecclesial life.133 For the same reasons, it also recognizes that in certain circumstances, by way of exception, and under certain conditions, access to these sacraments may be permitted, or even commended, for Christians of other Churches and ecclesial Communities.134
130. In case of danger of death, Catholic ministers may administer these sacraments when the conditions given below (n. 131) are present. In other cases, it is strongly recommended that the diocesan Bishop, taking into account any norms which may have been established for this matter by the Episcopal Conference or by the Synods of Eastern Catholic Churches, establish general norms for judging situations of grave and pressing need and for verifying the conditions mentioned below (n. 131).135 In accord with Canon Law,136 these general norms are to be established only after consultation with at least the local competent authority of the other interested Church or ecclesial Community. Catholic ministers will judge individual cases and administer these sacraments only in accord with these established norms, where they exist. Otherwise they will judge according to the norms of this Directory.
131. The conditions under which a Catholic minister may administer the sacraments of the Eucharist, of penance and of the anointing of the sick to a baptized person who may be found in the circumstances given above (n. 130) are that the person be unable to have recourse for the sacrament desired to a minister of his or her own Church or ecclesial Community, ask for the sacrament of his or her own initiative, manifest Catholic faith in this sacrament and be properly disposed.137
132. On the basis of the Catholic doctrine concerning the sacraments and their validity, a Catholic who finds himself or herself in the circumstances mentioned above (nn. 130 and 131) may ask for these sacraments only from a minister in whose Church these sacraments are valid or from one who is known to be validly ordained according to the Catholic teaching on ordination.
133. The reading of Scripture during a Eucharistic celebration in the Catholic Church is to be done by members of that Church. On exceptional occasions and for a just cause, the Bishop of the diocese may permit a member of another Church or ecclesial Community to take on the task of reader.
134. In the Catholic Eucharistic Liturgy, the homily which forms part of the liturgy itself is reserved to the priest or deacon, since it is the presentation of the mysteries of faith and the norms of Christian living in accordance with Catholic teaching and tradition.138
135. For the reading of Scripture and preaching during other than Eucharistic celebrations, the norms given above (n. 118) are to be applied.
136. Members of other Churches or ecclesial Communities may be witnesses at the celebration of marriage in a Catholic church. Catholics may also be witnesses at marriages which are celebrated in other Churches or ecclesial Commu- nities.
PONTIFICIUM CONSILIUM AD CHRISTIANORUM UNITATEM FOVENDAM
DIRECTORY FOR THE APPLICATION OF
PRINCIPLES AND NORMS ON ECUMENISM
http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/ponti ... sm_en.html

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In Christ
Kim, M



"....abstinence and chastity, dispose man very much to the perfection of intellectual operation.” St Thomas Aquinas

I know the title of this thread is probably a typo and should read "Dual religion family" but I suspect that mixed religion marriages often reflect both meanings.

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In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

Aw. somebody fixed it so now I look like an idiot!

The original title was "Duel religion family" and that is what prompted my comment!

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In Christ,

Jim B

I will consider your position if stated with firm, well-thought-out, quiet reasoning. Hateful diatribe, ad hominem attacks and shouted rhetoric don't impress.

Hi,

I'm sorry, I don't know your name so I don't know what to call you.

Been there, done that. When our children were little I was Greek Orthodox and my husband was Catholic. As Kim said, no, you can't baptise in both. Baptism removes orignial sin and makes us children of God. Becoming part of God's family through baptism is an important decision that parents make for their children. You and your husband are going to have to make a choice. My husband and I were faced with that choice. We chose Catholic but I'm not going to address the why in this post. Instead I'm going to tell you how we raised our children and how we worshiped.

First, we both strongly believe that it is important for children to see their parents worship together. Especially now that we live in such a secular society. I attended Mass with my husband and children every week even though I was not Catholic. We also believe that worshiping seperatly (or even worse, one parent takes the kids to church while the other stays home or goes golfing) sends the wrong message to the children about the importance of God and church.

As a non-Catholic I made an effort to learn as much as I could about the Catholic faith so that I could help teach our children about their faith. I wanted to take an active role in this. At the same time I had no intention of converting and made that very clear. To this day I am grateful to the priests and friends who respected that and did not attempt to push me or pressure me to convert when I wasn't ready to hear of it.

Second, it would be very confusing for the children if you taught them conflicting beliefs. OK, there aren't that many conflicting beliefs between the Orthodox and the Catholics but there are a few. Communion will be an issue. The Orthodox do not allow you to receive communion in the Catholic Church, nor will they offer the Eucharist to a Catholic. The Catholic Church will allow Orthodox to receive and allow Catholics to receive in the Orthodox Church under certain conditions. You would have to get permission from the Catholic priest before doing that. Sound confusing? I haven't even touched upon the Catholic obligation to attend Mass on Sunday.

Trying to raise them in both religions will get complicated, unless you throw out the religion and only focus on the culture. That's what often happens when people try to raise children to two faiths. The end result is that the parents end up throwing out God and giving the children the easy things that are more secular than faith. And that would be a very bad idea for the children.



Raising them in one faith does not mean that you have to give up the culture and traditions of the other. There are some things that you can and should combine. For example, one Catholic tradition that I enjoyed bringing into my life as an Orthodox was the Advent Wreath. When our children were young one of their favorite Orthodox traditions was cracking the red eggs on Easter Sunday. As for culture, our Catholic children were raised with icons around the house. The Orthodox place a greater emphasis on saints days than Catholics do. I brought that into our home. I also brought a greater reverence for Holy Week than my husband was raised wtih. While my husbands Catholic tradition gave us beautiful prayers such as the rosary, the chaplet of divine mercy and novenas.

There are many things that you can do to introduce the children to the culture of both faiths while only raising them in one. As I said before, the most important thing is to present a united front to your children when it comes to teaching them about God.

I became Catholic when our children young. It was a personal decision that had nothing to do with my husband or children. If I hadn’t, I would still have attended Mass with my family and I would have helped teach our children about their Catholic faith. In today's society it is more important than ever to give our children a solid faith foundation. It's a lot easier to do that when both parents present a united front about faith.

I hope this helps,

Effie

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“The business of Progressives is to go on making mistakes. The business of Conservatives is to prevent mistakes from being corrected.” –G.K Chesterton

Thanks Effie, I was hoping you would chime in.

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Bob C

'Mili',

(Please put a real - or believable - name on your posts so we know what to call you. You can do that on the signature bit on your profile.)

I'm not in the same situation as Effie, but this is my take:

Firstly, both Orthodox and Catholic churches teach that baptism is a once-only event. So, once your children are baptised, they are baptised. Period.

Secondly, the Catholic church(es) will recognise baptism in the Orthodox church(es) as valid. Some, but not all Orthodox churches will not recognise a Catholic baptism, so that might create issues.

Thirdly, there are issues about receiving Holy Communion because we aren't in full communion with each other. In exceptional circumstances it is allowed by Catholic bishops and by most Orthodox ones, but not always and permission is required. For example, where I come from, which is an island, there is no Orthodox priest of any jurisdiction, so the Orthodox Christians receive in the Catholic church. In the example of a husband and wife, that permission would usually be allowed by the Catholics (since our teachings on the Eucharist are the same) but I'm not sure that an Orthodox bishop or priest would always be so lenient. It depends on the individual churches.

I don't think it's possible to raise children 'both ways'. It is possible to bring them up with an appreciation of both traditions, but the point about seeing parents worship together is very important.

There are things to consider: If as an Orthodox Christian you really object to some of the Catholic doctrines, that is different to just following your own tradition (national or otherwise). I'm sure you know about the Eastern churches in communion with Rome and I don't know if there are any parishes anywhere near you, but it's worth finding out. The Eastern Catholic Churches are encouraged to follow their own liturgical and theological tradition, which is pretty much the same as that of the equivalent Orthodox churches, but are in full communion with Rome, which means that the sacraments can be received in a Latin church and vice versa.

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Jules Xx


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