Genealogists Need Catholic Records to Find Ancestors - Families Have Right to Family History
From The American Chronicle:
The Vatican Congregation for Clergy issued a letter directing all Catholic bishops to keep The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from microfilming and digitizing information in Catholic registers, according to a report in the Catholic News Service (CNS).
Msgr. J. Terrence Fitzgerald, vicar general of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, told CNS that the order was unnecessary because current policy already accomplishes the goal.
“We have a policy not to give out baptismal records to anyone unless they are entitled to have them,” said Msgr. Fitzgerald. “That isn’t just for the Church of the Latter-day Saints. That is for all groups.” He told CNS that he does not support giving the Mormons names for the sake of rebaptism.
However, Mormons are not the only people who use the Catholic records. People of all faiths, from all nations are interested in pursuing family history research.
Fortunately, Mormons, the popular name for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have always been willing to share the records they obtain with anyone and everyone at no charge. Anyone can walk into a Latter-day Saint Family History Center anywhere in the world and conduct research without being asked what church they belong to and without paying a single dime.
It is also the policy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that records can be researched and used only by family members of the dead. The Church has repeatedly advised members not to use records of people to whom they are not related. A recent PBS television documentary entitled “The Mormons” included a great deal of information about the practice of genealogical research and temple proxy baptisms.
In 1984 I asked my grandfather´s elderly cousin in Ireland to help me research parish records in his town in Ireland so I could research my family history. He was excited to help and went to his parish priest who said that every other name in his records was related to me. He told me I was welcome to copy the records for my research.
Those records were so voluminous that the only practical solution was to ask the Genealogy Society of Utah to come in with their microfilming equipment. They provided a written agreement to the parish priest explaining that they would make a microfilm of the records, provide a free copy to the parish priest to help him preserve the records, and would make the records available to anyone who would like to research their family history without charge.
My cousin said that the priest was so happy to preserve the decaying records, and that it would not cost anything to do so. I was happy because I now had the information that would not have been otherwise available to me.
Stories like this have been repeated in communities all around the world as volunteers give up their time and pay their own way to help preserve valuable records that enable people everywhere to learn about their family history and heritage.
I am so grateful that my cousin´s parish priest chose to go against the policy then in place by his bishop, which was that Catholic parish records in Ireland could be researched in person, but the LDS Church was not microfilm them. However, my cousin´s priest was concerned that the records would not last more than a few more years in their present condition, and he knew that many people would be blessed if the records could be preserved. (I have left out identifying information on purpose because even after all these years I do not wish to stir up trouble in Ireland.)
According to the CNS news report, the letter was sent to Catholic bishops out of concern that Mormons believe in proxy baptisms of the dead, something Catholics disagree with. In other words, that baptisms can be performed by family members of those who have died with the hope that the dead family member has been taught about the LDS Church in heaven and has decided to accept the baptism performed for them in this world. (cont.)