Question:
Should Catholic parents force their children to be confirmed against their will?
Answer:
No, they should not force their children to be confirmed. Although confirmation can be validly received by infants, as is done in Eastern Catholic churches, when the person to receive the sacrament is old enough to make his own decision, he should be allowed to decide for himself whether or not he will receive it.
Canon law states:
Apart from the danger of death, to receive confirmation lawfully a person who has the use of reason must be suitably instructed, properly disposed, and able to renew the baptismal promises (CIC 889).
If a child is unwilling to receive confirmation, he is not properly disposed and cannot lawfully receive confirmation.
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