Catholic church refuses girl’s baptism because mum is CoE
AN eight year-old girl has been refused a Catholic baptism because her mother is Church of England.
Like her two teenage halfbrothers, Cassie Silver wants to be baptised in a Catholic church.
The eight-year-old already attends a Catholic school but has been refused a Catholic baptism by Corpus Christi Church in Stechford, Birmingham, because her mother, Selina Silver, is Church of England.
Ms Silver claims that is discrimination. The 36-year-old, from Yardley, said: “How am I supposed to tell an eight-yearold girl she cannot be part of God’s Church because I’m not Catholic?
“My daughter attends a Catholic church, she goes to a Catholic school and she says prayers before meals and at bedtime.
“She wants to be a Catholic. Why should I have to change my religion for that to happen?”
However, a spokesman for Corpus Christi pointed out that the rule applies to all churches.
“It is not a personal rule,” he said. “Unless the parents are Catholic, who will be guiding the child to grow in the Catholic faith?
“I don’t understand why you would want your child baptised Catholic
The regulation is not unique to Corpus Christi. Ms Silver turned to the Stechford church after pupils at her daughter’s school, St Bernadette’s Primary in Yardley, received a letter from nearby Holy Family outlining the same stipulation.
“I think it’s discriminatory,” says Ms Silver. “The church is picking and choosing because of the parents. It was not my choice not to be Catholic, but my father is of the faith and so was my grandfather. I will not become one. Why should I change my religion?”
Cassie simply wants to follow in her siblings’ footsteps.
if you are not
Catholic.”
Brothers Bradley Mornington, aged 16, and 13-year-old Christian Mornington both attend Archbishop Ilsley Catholic School, in Acocks Green, and were baptised at Holy Family.
However, their father and Ms Silver are no longer together. He is not Cassie’s father, although brothers and sister live under the same roof – and that is the sticking point.
“They are discriminating against my daughter because of me, and that’s not fair,” says Ms Silver. “They have not taken her feelings into consideration, yet they expect us to turn up to church each week and give donations.”