The rite given here for the burial of a child is not to be regarded as a prayer of petition of the Church for the soul of the child. Rather, it is to be seen as a prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God for having taken the child to the glory and happiness of everlasting life.²

Baptised children under the ‘age of reason’ (seven years) are assumed not to have committed actual (personal) sin; it is therefore not necessary to pray for their release from Purgatory. The Requiem Mass is not said for them; instead, either the Mass of the day, or a votive Mass (usually, the Mass of the Angels), is said for a suitable intention, such as to beg consolation for the family. There are different psalms, prayers, and ceremonies for the reception of the body, the blessing of the coffin at the end of Mass, and the burial.