Hello Father, I am a Roman Catholic married to a Muslim in a register marraige. We have two children now and neither are baptised. Because of the fact that I cannot receive Holy Communion till married in the Church, my spouse has agreed to have the marraige blessed in the Church. I would like to know the procedure followed by the Church in these cases. Also I want to mention that I cannot make a committment to bring up both my children as Christians. What we have decided between ourselves is that our daughter (3 yrs) will be brought up as a Christian and our son would be brought up as a Muslim (1.5 yrs). Would this be a hindrance to having the marraige approved by the Church? Also, would there be any negative responses or lack of unity between the children if they both are brought up in different religions? I am looking forward to receiving a response from you.

Dear Friend,

In the eyes of the Church, because you are a Roman Catholic, you are presently in what is referred to as an “irregular marriage”.

If you desired to have your marriage recognized by the Catholic Church it would involve approaching your parish priest and completing the necessary forms.

Regarding you the notion of baptism of children, the Church requires that you do “all in your power” to raise the children in the Christian faith.
Doing “all in your power” does not mean having the children baptized against the wishes of your spouse (because obviously your spouse has rights as well and these need to be respected). It does mean you discuss the issue with your spouse. What will it mean to raise two children in two different faiths? As long as both you and your spouse are respectful of your different
religious traditions, there is no reason why you could not make the situation of your children raised in two different faiths workable. The big queion will be…. what, between your two faiths can you share in common?
How will you celebrate both Ramadan and Christmas? These will be some of thechallenges you will faith.

I would suggest you approach your parish priest. If, in entering into conversation with him, you find him understanding and knowledgeable, then you are well on the road to having the matter resolved.

Best wishes as you move forward in your discussion and reflection on this issue.

aka Fr. Doug C.Ss.R.