Wayne Edgington
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I am looking forward to beginning an RCIA course at my local parish here in the United
Kingdom.
I have been an Anglican (member of the Church
of England) all my life, and was baptized
as such when I was an infant. I have
always leaned towards Catholicism, so have
now decided to be bold and move to Rome.
I am a divorcee, but with a long held sense
of a priestly vocation. In seeking reception
into the Catholic Church, I am going to seek to have my marriage impugned, with
the possibility that it might be declared
null.
My wife was baptized as an adult
according to the practices of the Church of
England, however the priest who
administered the sacrament of Baptism was
a woman. This is my question:
- Would the gender of the priest in any
way affect the validity of my wife's Baptism?
I ask because it's my understanding that, if
at least one of the marriage partners was
not baptized at the time of the marriage
then, there may be strong grounds for a diocesan
tribunal to move towards a declaration of
nullity.
Your counsel would be much appreciated.
Wayne
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Looking ahead, would the gender of an Anglican 'priest' affect the validity of my wife's Baptism? }
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Eric
replied:
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Hi, Wayne —
No. Anyone can baptize, even an atheist.
Eric
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Wayne —
Thanks for the question.
My colleague Eric is correct. The
only thing that could be an issue,
which I doubt, is whether the correct
form was used for Baptism.
The person must use the Trinitarian
formula:
[ First Name ], I baptize you in
the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Most Anglicans, to my knowledge,
do this.
The matter must be water:
St. Thomas:
By Divine institution, water is
the proper matter of Baptism;
and with reason.
First, by reason of the very nature
of Baptism, which is a regeneration
unto spiritual life.
The priest will be able to discern
whether there is an issue involved
or not. If there is an uncertainty, which
he will be able to discern, receiving a conditional
Baptism is an option.
Personally, I would be surprised
if this were not a valid baptism.
If a pagan uses the correct form
and matter, the Baptism is valid.
Mike
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Wayne —
Anyone may validly baptize, even
a female priest. However,
she must use correct matter and form
(words).
If she used a feminist rendering
of the Baptismal formula, then you
may have a case about the Baptism.
Mary Ann
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