Do we all have a Guardian Angel or just Catholics?

Question:

I heard that at baptism we receive our guardian angels. Is this true, and does it mean that children of non-Christians do not have guardian angels?

Answer:

The idea of ​​obtaining our guardian angels at baptism is speculation, not a teaching from the Church. The common opinion among Catholic theologians is that all people, regardless of whether they are baptized, have guardian angels at least from the moment of their birth (see Ludwig Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma [Rockford: TAN, 1974], 120); some have suggested that babies are cared for by their mother's guardian angels before birth.

The view that everyone has a guardian angel seems well founded in Scripture. In Matthew 18:10 Jesus states: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. " He said it before the Crucifixion and spoke of Jewish children. It would therefore seem that non-Christian children, not just Christians (baptized) have guardian angels.

Note that Jesus says that their angels always see the face of his Father. This is not simply a statement that they continually claim in the presence of God, but an affirmation that they have continuous access to the Father. If one of their departments is in trouble, they can act as the child's advocate before God.

The opinion that all people have guardian angels is found in the Fathers of the Church, particularly in Basilio and Girolamo, and is also the opinion of Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae I: 113: 4).