COMECE-Sbattezzo: libertà, registri e ragioni

The Court of Justice of the European Union is considering a case that could require the physical removal of entire sacrament notes from baptismal registers.

The legal matter, identified as case C-12/25 involving the Diocese of Gand in Belgium, goes beyond simply noting an individual's wishes in a register. The request asks for the removal of the full paragraph containing sacramental details, such as the location, time, and names of parents and godparents, from both paper and digital records. Marcello Neri reports that this change would have significant legal, canonical, and theological consequences.

A public hearing on the matter took place on June 30, and a ruling is expected on October 1.