It’s an area where I have direct empirical experience as a Catholic Church member by Baptism for almost 75 years. She became a member of the Catholic Church when, within hours of her birth, she was baptised in a brief ceremony in the local Catholic Church. Four-hundred years later, at two weeks old, I too was baptised and enrolled as a life member of the Catholic Church. Both entities as State Parties to that Convention are obliged through their laws and practices to respect and vindicate a comprehensive list of children’s rights. Dr Mary McAleese, academic civil and canon lawyer, is author of Children’s Rights and Obligations in Canon Law: the Christening Contract (Brill 2019).

Source: The Irish Times January 11, 2026 08:01 UTC