EU bishops warn about risks of deleting names from baptismal records

The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE, by its Latin acronym) has reiterated its concerns over the possible deletion of baptismal records within the European Union. Their reaction follows the nonbinding opinion issued on Oct. 1 by Laila Medina, advocate general at the Court of Justice of the EU.

In her opinion regarding case C-12/25, “Bisdom Gent,” (Diocese of Ghent) brought by a Belgian citizen who demanded that the Diocese of Ghent delete his baptismal data, Medina opened the door to the possibility that ecclesiastical archives could be required to erase the name of a baptized person who requests such removal after leaving the Church.

To date, the standard practice has been to make a marginal note recording the interested partyʼs wish, without erasing the person’s data.

In an Oct. 5 statement , COMECE noted that the ruling acknowledges that “the assessments required by the case are ‘complex’” and, in several respects, “leaves room for the role of national courts” and also impinge upon “the relevance of Church autonomy and of its freedom of religion,” as well as the importance to the Catholic Church of the “correct administration of the…