Baptism

IMPORTANCE OF BAPTIZING CHILDREN

Documentation:

From the earliest times, the Church, to which the mission of preaching the Gospel and of baptizing was entrusted, has baptized not only adults but children as well. Our Lord said: “Unless one is reborn in water and the Holy Spirit, one cannot enter the kingdom of God.” The Church has always understood these words to mean that children should not be deprived of Baptism, because they are baptized in the faith of the Church. This faith is proclaimed for them by their parents and godparents, who represent both the local Church and the whole society of saints and believers: “The whole Church is the mother of all and the mother of each” (Order of Baptism for Children, n.2).