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Is it true that if a older child is being christened and says No to the baptism then the priest can't perform it?
Answer to Question 175
How old are we taking about? If the child is about 5 then I can understand his fear of getting into the water and the embarrassment of having to be naked, although I would allow the child to remain in underwear, but the child at that age still doesn't understand what baptism is so is not actually rejecting it. But a child of 10 can understand many things about religion and if he/she doesn't want to be baptized there isn't much a priest can do other than to respect the child's wishes. This of course should have been discussed with the parents long before the day of baptism and a meeting with the child, parents and priest should have been arranged to help the child understand the procedure
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