If they do, and I have not heard of a single case, it is not out of necessity, but most likely to comfort a grieving parent. If you are aware of any instances please link them in.
NL: If they do, and I have not heard of a single case, it is not out of necessity, but most likely to comfort a grieving parent. If you are aware of any instances please link them in.
Is that not lying to the parent then, leading them to believe that it is accomplishing something when it's not?
It is a common practice ..still born babies and dead unbaptized infants are baptized all the time, That is one of the functions preformed by Catholic hospital chaplains or sometimes a Catholic nurse or Doctor
Now as to a case..My 17mo old grandson drown in a family pool, his mom and dad are Baptists, but a catholic grandmother asked for him to be baptized.. and the hospital chaplain baptized him. My son has the baptismal certificate
This is from a catholic forum thought it was interesting
.There is no strict doctrinal or legal/canonical regulation on this, of which I am aware. Priests are normally told in seminary to baptize and/or perform last rites even on stillborn or deceased persons. The rule of thumb which I have heard is that until bodily decomposition begins (about 2-3 days) the sacraments can still be performed. The assumption is that we have no idea when the soul leaves the body, and I suppose it 'can't hurt'. But even unbaptized children, of course, are not assumed to be damned for that purpose. The funeral rite for unbaptized children 'consigns them to the mercy of God' and leaves it at that. Source(s): Ph.D. in theology
Here is another forum with a discussion on it
http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=112954