The Validity of Baptism, CDF Responds

(01 Mar 08 - RV) The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has intervened in response to concerns regarding the validity of Baptisms conferred with certain non-standard formulae.

In a note published Friday, the Congregation, headed by US Cardinal William Joseph Levada, addressed the issue of certain formulae being used in English speaking countries, which do not correspond to the words contained in the Gospel and Christ’s commandment: go and administer to all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The ‘new’ formulae being used in some cases are: 'I baptise you in the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier', or 'I baptise you in the name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer'"

The CDF communiqué states that baptism is not valid if conferred with these words, and that those who have been baptised with these formulae must be baptised 'in forma absoluta'

During a recent audience with the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope Benedict XVI, approved these responses, which were adopted at the ordinary session of the congregation, and ordered their publication.

An attached note explains that "Baptism conferred in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit 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. Such variants, however, undermine faith in the Trinity".

"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 baptised, or who will in the future be baptised, with the formulae in question have, in reality, not been baptised. Hence, they must them 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-baptised'".