Answers by Reverend James H. Doran

Question: I know that the Council of Florence taught that three components are necessary for the effecting of a sacrament—matter, form, and intent of the minister; and if any one of the three are lacking, the sacrament is not valid. I also know, however, that the Church teaches that even a pagan can legitimately baptize in an emergency, as long as he uses water, the correct form, and intends to do what the Church does.

My question is: How can a minister whose denomination formally rejects the very existence of sacraments intend to do what the Church does when baptizing a person? In short, should a convert be conditionally rebaptized? Further, if so, should he be conditionally reconfirmed? The Novus Ordo priests that I have discussed this with have (predictably) dismissed my entire concern as silly!

Answer: When acting an questions dealing with the sacraments, one must be always as certain as possible in clearing a doubt. To leave a doubt, when it is possible to resolve it, or to rely on a doubtful solution in unacceptable, and sinful.

A minister in a denomination which formally rejects the very existence of sacraments could still, with intention, validly baptize as long as the form and matter were correctly applied. As you may well know, a whole new theology and doctrinal expression can be found with each minister you speak to. Because of the vagueness involved, a minister may in fact “intend to do what the Church does.” Only a firm contrary opinion and repudiation of the true intention in the will of the minister would invalidate it. Obviously, the pagan has no belief in the effects of supernatural grace, and in all likelihood repudiates the concept of sanctifying grace, but nonetheless can “intend to do what the Church does.” Rome forbade the “rebaptism” of Chinese who had received such from the Presbyterians, even when the latter had published their official repudiation of the fact that original sin was cleansed by the sacrament. So there remains, as long as the proper matter and trinitarian form are used, probability of the sacrament’s validity.

The Church’s general practice in America, prior to Vatican II, was to conditionally baptize Protestants being received into the Fold. This means that the person was baptized on the condition that the first was invalid. It was conditional, and not absolutely conferred to avoid the sacrilege of rebaptism. Baptism cannot be conferred twice, and the probability of the validity of the first presents this risk. A second reason for this practice is that it gives tranquility to the conscience of the person who may be tempted to doubt later the fact of having received the grace of Our Lord in Baptism.