Unbaptized babies can now be commemorated in church
The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church adopted a document that permits remembrance of unbaptized babies.
The rite of commemoration was approved at a meeting held last Saturday in Yekaterinburg.
Until that day, the church had been denied the opportunity to read or commemorate children who had died before their parents had christened them.
Mothers and fathers often turned to the patriarch with requests to reconsider the existing state of affairs, because their children also need to be remembered.
The state of mind of a child who has not yet received the sacrament of Baptism is still not definitively defined by theologians, they argue about him and cannot reach a common opinion.
But everyone is unanimous in the fact that the baby, who was just born, have not had time to acquire personal sinsand therefore it is not necessary to ask the Lord for the forgiveness of sins during the funeral, as it is done in the service of adults and young people
The Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church called for this to be interpreted as such.
Therefore now grieving parents and other relatives who have experienced a heavy loss and have lost a baby will not be denied funeral and subsequent commemoration.