European Court of Human Rights Denies Ruling 'Baptism Is A Crime Against Children'

European Court of Human Rights Denies 'Baptism Is A Crime Against Children'
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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has denied ruling that Baptising newborn children "violates their freedom".

According to the story circulating in the Italian press and reported here, an Italian woman won a case in the European Court of Human Rights to have her son's baptism cancelled.

The story was published on numerous Italian news sites, but the ECHR has said the story had no basis in fact.

Reports had indicated the court condemned Italy for not only failing to acknowledge the woman’s right to oppose the baptism of her child but also for breaching the baby’s “freedom of thought, conscience and religion,” in accordance with Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the website Il Fatto Quotidiano reported.

Citing the laws enshrined in Article 3 of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ECHR reportedly concluded that the sacrament of baptism “harms the interests of the child”.

This has since been denied by the court.

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