I overheard this 'complaint' about the Catholic church today. I might not have all the details correct but from what I heard it went something like this: This man's wife is Catholic, he is a Protestant. They wanted to have their child baptized in the Catholic Church. According to him, the priest gave him a hard time about him not being a Catholic and wanting his baby baptized. The man said something along the lines of - what do I have to do to get my child baptized in the Catholic church? According to him the priest told him to make a $500 donation to the church and then they would seriously consider the request.

My question is, is this a normal practice or has anyone heard of this occurring? Thanks.

The couple need to inquire or maybe you could do this with the local diocese.

Canon Law says: Can. 848 For the administration of the sacraments the minister may not ask for anything beyond the offerings which are determined by the competent authority, and he must always ensure that the needy are not deprived of the help of the sacraments by reason of poverty.