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Thursday July 24, 2008
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Vatican
Church : Vatican
The first question is: "Is a baptism valid if conferred with the words 'I baptize you in the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier,' or 'I baptize you in the name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer’?" The second question is: "Must people baptized with those formulae be baptized 'in forma absoluta'?" (Editor: in other words, be baptized with the proper formula). The responses are: "To the first question, negative; to the second question, affirmative." Pope Benedict ordered the statement to be published. The text of the responses bears the signatures of Cardinal William Levada, prefect, and of Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary. An attached note signed by Monsignor Antonio Miralles, professor of dogmatic theology at the Pontifical Holy Cross University, explains that the responses "concern the validity of baptism conferred with two English-language formulae [...] Clearly, the question does not concern English, but the formula itself, which could also be expressed in another language." "Baptism conferred in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," the note continued, "obeys Jesus' command as it appears at the end of the Gospel of St. Matthew. [...] The baptismal formula must be an adequate expression of Trinitarian faith; approximate formulae are unacceptable." "Variations to the baptismal formula—using non-biblical designations of the Divine Persons—as considered in this reply, arise from so-called feminist theology," being an attempt "to avoid using the words Father and Son which are held to be chauvinistic, substituting them with other names," the note clarified. "Such variants, however, undermine faith in the Trinity.” In a commentary on the responses, Cardinal Urbano Navarrete, former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, added: "The response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith constitutes an authentic doctrinal declaration, which has wide-ranging canonical and pastoral effects. Indeed, the reply implicitly affirms that people who have been baptized, or who will in the future be baptized, with the formulae in question have, in reality, not been baptized. Hence, they must then be treated for all canonical and pastoral purposes with the same juridical criteria as people whom the Code of Canon Law places in the general category of 'non-baptized.' This implies that if they have received other sacraments, these are invalid as well and should be re-administered. (Zenit, 29 February, 2008) Comment In Ontario, for example, the phrase “In the name of the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier” was used frequently as a sign of the cross by “dissenting/liberal/progressive” teachers in the publicly funded Catholic school system and Religious Education Faculties. Some of these were former priests who may well have started using this invalid formula while still in the priesthood. Anyone who has any knowledge of active priests having used this formula should inform their local diocesan chancery. Former priests who now realize they have used this invalid formula, should themselves inform the local diocese in order for the harm done to be rectified. © Copyright 1997-2006 Catholic Insight
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