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An advocate general at the European Court of Justice issued an opinion stating that individuals generally have the right to have their personal data removed from baptismal registers. This opinion applies if the entity managing the records cannot demonstrate compelling legitimate reasons for keeping the data that outweigh the rights and freedoms of the individual.

The legal development follows a movement in Europe, primarily in the Low Countries, where Catholics have sued the Church to have their names erased from these sacramental records. While the opinion addresses data privacy, the registers serve as historical records of fact that document much of European history through parish record-keeping.