Spanish bishops report more unbaptized children asking for First Communion

The Spanish Bishops' Conference has reported a rise in requests for First Communion from children who have not been baptized, which it calls a "growing reality" in Spanish parishes. The issue has come up at the start of the new pastoral year, as children return to school in September and parishes resume their work of accompanying children, adolescents, young people and adults in their Christian initiation.

To help with that work, the conference's Commission for Evangelization, Catechesis and the Catechumenate has launched a campaign with resources and videos. In a letter presenting the initiative, Bishop José Rico Pavés, president of the commission, writes that "being a catechist is not simply passing on lessons; it is welcoming children, young people and adults to accompany them in a personal encounter with Jesus Christ."

The Church as a mother who welcomes without preconditions

The campaign says the Church does not regard it as a problem when unbaptized children ask for First Communion. One of the campaign videos takes up the question in a dialogue between two characters. When one asks, "Isn't it a problem?", the answer is: "No, it is not a problem. Just the other day, coming out of Mass, Father Francisco was explaining it to us. More and more children are coming to make their First Communion without being baptized. And the Church, who is a mother and welcomes, has everything in place."

The pastoral position set out in the campaign is to recognize the situation and bring these children into the process of Christian initiation rather than exclude them because they have not been baptized.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults adapted for children

For unbaptized children of catechism age, the Church has a specific procedure based on chapter 5 of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, known in Spanish as the RICA. The procedure is set out in detail in the new guide to the catechism "Jesús es el Señor" (Jesus is the Lord), intended as a practical tool for catechists working with these children and their families.

The guide specifies when to hold "the presentations, the rites and the various celebrations that this ritual offers us as a catechumenal itinerary for children." Each stage of the process is set out in order, so that catechists can accompany the child from a first encounter with the Catholic faith to full incorporation through the sacraments.

Catechetical resources

The conference's campaign brings together videos and practical materials for catechists, pastors and families. The videos deal with children baptized late, families returning to religious practice, and children from non-Christian backgrounds who seek the sacraments. The campaign presents these situations as part of the Church's evangelizing mission today.

The new guide gives catechists direction on how to proceed when an unbaptized child asks to begin Christian initiation, so that catechists do not improvise and the established rite is followed with dignity and doctrinal coherence.