Baptism of a corpse in the Roman Catholic Church?

What???

Baptism is immersion in water. And the one who's to be baptized must accept the teachings of Jesus Christ. How could a corpse do that?

Catholics, answer this.

Α†Ω™

Definitely not Roman Catholic. Oh .... you saw holy water being sprinkled on the casket (and probably the congregation) ... not baptism. Part of a blessing ritual.

I wonder if this was a prayer service at the funeral home requested by the widow. A non-Catholic is usually not given a funeral mass and you are certain that he would not convert, Hmm.

With medications and dying, a persons decisions are not always in line with his life. The service you saw was not a baptism, but there may have been a private baptism at the hospital--please don't hold this against your friend as he was likely not himself. He may have even done it to comfort his widow, it wouldn't be the first time.

The Priest who did this was very wrong.

The Catholic Church specifically teaches that people who are baptized must be alive, and it should be their own choice. Babies are excluded, because they can break away when they are older. It's all about Free Will.

There is no such thing as salvation in the Catholic Church after death. The decision is made instantly, at the Particular Judgment. If the Priest did this, I am assuming he did so simply to console the woman or to ease her grief. He undoubtedly knows that baptizing a deceased person does absolutely nothing to the position of their soul in the Afterlife.

Never heard of that, and it would have been impossible. If the priest did this, which I doubt, it would have been useless and against Church teaching. Only a living person can be baptized, the dead cannot be baptized.

Your infant does not might desire to be baptised. The Bible teaches that the point of baptism is for the remission of sins. It additionally says that little ones are harmless till they comprehend ideal from incorrect. a million John says that sin is the transgression of the regulation (God's instructions) and if a toddler does not comprehend ideal from incorrect, they might't transgress, and hence, are harmless till they do. Nowhere in the Bible is toddler baptism approved.

It may have been a "rogue" priest. I remember one in KS that told high school kids to use birth control. But other than that, no, it's not a teaching at all. At death we're judged and that's it, everything else is too late.

Similar to the Mormons baptizing people retroactively. For every new member they recruit, they baptize as many of his or her known relatives as possible.

I'm sure your friend's wife requested this of the priest that is one of the reasons why I clearly state my desires in my will. That no one will pray over me, that my services will not take place in any sort of religious facility, that I will be cremated by sundown the day after my death, that all who attend should enjoy beer and music and that my ashes are to be spread off Naples Beach.

Taoist/Atheist

what you probably saw was the blessing , this is normal at all funerals at the church, they sprinkle holy water over the casket. they would not be allowed to open it

I have never heard of this. I think it is a horrible thing to do. The man did not want this, how disrespectful!

And I do not see how that would count anyway? "God" knows the mans heart and thoughts, so what is the point?

No, never heard of it, only heard of baptism for the dead where a loved one is baptized for the unsaved deceased. I am sure they probably only did that to ease her mind, I do not believe it will have any effect on his eternity.