Diocese of Málaga Backs Priest Accused of Denying Baptism and First Communion in Benamargosa, Spain

The Diocese of Málaga in Spain has expressed support for a priest who is accused by neighbors of denying the sacrament of Baptism to a baby and First Communion to a young man. The priest, David Roger Roca García, is the parish priest of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación in Benamargosa. The accusations are made by neighbors who have launched a public denunciation campaign against him. The report describes these as allegations, and it does not describe any criminal or civil proceeding. The diocese states that the priest acted in accordance with canon law.

The local daily Málaga Hoy reported a denunciation made by María del Carmen Jaime Gómez. According to the newspaper, more than a year before the report, she asked the priest to baptize her daughter, and he declined. The newspaper states that the parish priest reportedly decided not to administer the sacrament because Gómez did not attend Sunday Mass regularly. The newspaper also reports that in the previous June, the area’s archpriest told Gómez that the bishop had given her permission to baptize her daughter and to record the event in the baptismal books.

The Bishopric of Málaga responded in a statement. It said that the parish priest had kept Bishop Jesús Catalá informed of the case and had decided not to administer baptism at that time, in accordance with the Code of Canon Law. The diocese cited canon 868, which requires the consent of the parents, or at least one of them, or of those who legitimately take their place, and requires that the priest have a founded hope that the child will be educated in the Catholic religion. If that hope is completely lacking, the canon states, baptism must be deferred and the reason made known to the parents.

The diocese stated that the parish priest “has never ‘denied’ the sacrament” and has only applied the Church’s norm of “differing baptism,” making this known to the parents, with whom he says he has a fluid and close relationship. The diocese added that when there is a “founded hope” of Catholic education, the girl could be baptized. The neighbors’ accounts and the diocese’s account stand side by side in this report, and each is presented here as the claim of the party making it.

A separate neighbor told Malaga Today that the same priest had decided not to give First Communion to the neighbor’s son for the time being, saying the child “had no faith.” The diocese said that the parish priest noted the child did not have the necessary preparation or disposition and that the family preferred to defer communion. The diocese explained that receiving a sacrament after the age of reason requires knowing what is received, a minimum of religious formation, an attitude of faith in wanting to live it, and the will to do so.

The Code of Canon Law, in canon 912 and following, provides that every baptized person whom the law does not prohibit can and must be admitted to Holy Communion. For children, however, the law requires sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so that they understand the mystery of Christ to the extent of their capacity and can receive the Body of the Lord with faith and devotion. The parents, those who take their place, and the parish priest are obligated to ensure that children who have reached the use of reason are properly prepared as soon as possible, and the parish priest is to ensure that children who have not yet reached the use of reason, or whom he does not judge sufficiently willing, do not receive the Eucharist.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Spanish)