By Vatican News
A person is free to abandon the Church if they so choose. What one cannot do, however, is erase their name from the Baptismal Register, because for the Church, the reception of this sacrament is a “foundational historical fact” that must be accurately recorded. From Baptism proceed all other sacraments, making it essential to verify whether it has been validly conferred. Consequently, it is “not permitted to alter or delete” entries in the sacramental registers, “except to correct transcription errors.”
Objective verification of a fact
This clarification was issued today, Apr 17, in a note dated Apr 7 and signed by the heads of the Dicastery for Legislative Texts.
Canon Law, the document states, “does not allow for the modification or deletion of entries in the Baptismal Register, except in cases of transcription errors.”
The purpose of the register is to “provide certainty regarding particular acts, making it possible to verify their actual occurrence.”
Thus, the register is “the objective verification of sacramental actions or events related to the sacraments historically carried out by the Church.”
Baptism as the basis of other sacraments
The note reiterates the obligation of parishes to keep and safeguard the register, particularly with regard to Baptism.
This sacrament is the prerequisite for others—Confirmation, Holy Orders, Matrimony, religious profession, change of rite, and adoption.
Therefore, establishing the “valid reception” of these sacraments “requires certainty about the reception of Baptism.”
The maintenance of these registers is thus important for the “pastoral and administrative order,” for theological reasons, and also for “legal certainty” and “potential protection of the rights of the individual and of third parties.”
No infringement on personal freedom
Although Canon 535 of the Code of Canon Law “does not state this explicitly,” the mandatory nature of registering and certifying such acts clearly implies, the Vatican note emphasizes, an “absolute prohibition” against tampering with the Baptismal Register.
Importantly, this register “is not a list of members,” but rather “a record of an ecclesial historical fact.”
As such, it “does not intend to certify the religious belief of individuals or that a person is a member of the Church.”
The note affirms that “the sacraments received and the entries made do not in any way limit the free will of Christian faithful who, by an act of that same will, choose to leave the Church.”
The act of defection
If someone does decide to leave, the register may include what is known as the “actus formalis defectionis ab Ecclesia Catholica“, a formal act of defection from the Catholic Church.
The note specifies, “Even though the data contained in the Church’s registers cannot be deleted, in light of the interest of the person involved and all other relevant parties, it is permitted—at the simple request of the person concerned—to record their expression of will to leave the Church in the context of a formal hearing.”
One cannot be baptized twice
The note reaffirms that being baptized is an “objective condition” and that “a person who has already been baptized cannot be baptized again,” since such an act would be “simply invalid” from a sacramental point of view.
The note refers to Canon 869, which does not represent a case of re-administering Baptism, but rather allows a minister to confer Baptism sub conditione—conditionally—if there is “doubt whether a person, usually an infant, has in fact been baptized.”
In these situations, “there is no new administration of Baptism, since the minister conditions the efficacy of the act on the non-existence of a prior valid Baptism.”
Witnesses to the sacrament
Lastly, the note emphasizes the importance of having witnesses present at the celebration of Baptism, “as with other non-repeatable sacraments,” in order to ensure “certainty of the event,” which must be registered.
Nonetheless, the note concludes, a “witness cannot replace the register, but is only a supporting element in providing certainty for those responsible for making the entry.” – Vatican News
