Points of interest, maybe, re Ireland at least:
The Religious Upbringing of the Children As the Roman Catholic Directory on Mixed Marriages (1983) states: this is the joint responsibility of both parents and will depend very much upon your own religious practice. Each parent should be able to share something of their own tradition with their children.
Roman Catholic Canon Law requirements When a Roman Catholic marries a Protestant certain formal documents are required by the Roman Catholic Church. They are:
(a) Permission to marry a baptised member of another Christian Church. This is obtained from the bishop through the local parish priest. The priest will want to see the couple beforehand. Roman Catholic Canon Law (Canon 1125) requires him to ensure:
that the Roman Catholic partner makes the declaration required of all Roman Catholics about the baptism and upbringing of their children (see 'The Promise' below);
that the Church of Ireland partner is truly aware of the promise and of the obligation upon the Roman Catholic partner;
that the couple know about the purposes and the essential properties of marriage. When he is assured that this has been done the priest will apply to the bishop for a Permission. The Church of Ireland partner is not required to sign or agree to anything except to indicate that he/she understands what the Roman Catholic partner has declared.
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The Promise ALL Roman Catholics, even those marrying another Roman Catholic, are asked the following:
Do you promise to do what you can within the unity of your partnership to have all the children of your marriage baptised and brought up in the Catholic-faith?
In explaining this declaration, the Irish Roman Catholic Bishops' Directory on Mixed Marriages (1983) states how he or she succeeds in practice in the particular marriage depends not only on the Catholic's efforts, but also on the agreement and co-operation of the other partner (7.4) and the religious upbringing of the children is the joint responsibility of both parents. The obligations of the Catholic party do not, and cannot, cancel out, or in any way call into question, the conscientious duty of the other party. (8.1). At section 8.5 it adds: The actual circumstances of the marriage form the context in which this obligation must be carried out, and these circumstances are bound to vary considerably. The possibility exists that, despite his or her best efforts, the Catholic will be in a situation where some or all of the children are brought up in the denomination of the other party. Thus there are three possible outcomes for the upbringing of the children: that all are brought up as Roman Catholics, that some are brought up as Roman Catholics or that none are brought up as Roman Catholics. Any decision on this matter is the natural responsibility of the parents and should be made jointly from within the marriage. However, as a couple you should discuss this fully before you marry, resisting undue pressure – from whatever quarter.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... 3F&ct=clnkIt's a cache job since the links for a .doc file...
