Dear Catholic Exchange:
A divorced Hindu colleague, who lives-in publicly with a single Catholic woman, was seeking to be baptized (with the intention of marrying). I alerted the priest who was doing his catechesis on this relationship, but he went ahead and baptized him. To the best of my knowledge, they remained in this scandalous, sinful union, before, during and after the three-in-a-day “grand-slam” sacraments of initiation. (I wonder what he answered to the “Do you reject sin…” question!). They are now preparing to be married in the Church in two weeks. Did the priest act correctly? Is the Baptism valid? What can I do?
Love in Jesus & Mary,
Padua Corner
Dear Tena,
Peace in Christ!
Whether or not the priest acted correctly in this case is a question we would be reluctant to answer without investigation. It is possible that this couple agreed to live chastely until their marriage. The pastor is the person who legitimately evaluates the readiness of this man to be baptized. The presumption is that the pastor knows better than we the details of their situation and we generally trust our priests to shepherd their flocks.
There is the possibility of scandal, which may be gently brought to the priest’s attention. Please see our Faith Fact Responding to Scandals in the Church and our Effective Lay Witness protocol for guidelines in addressing these matters. The first and often the best thing for us to do in this situation is to pray for the priest and his ministry, as well as the couple and their marriage.
With respect to your question about the validity of the baptism; one of the prerequisites of a valid Baptism is faith. And by faith is meant a minimum of faith, which may be marked by no more than submission and docility to the rites of the Church. In the case of infants or incompetents, validity requires the faith of the parents or legitimate guardians. Adults, however, must have faith for themselves. They must want to be baptized in order to enter the community of Christ’s Church. In other words, they seek Baptism because they, however weakly, embrace the faith. If they seek Baptism for these reasons, but do not accept all of Church teaching, the Baptism is still valid. The Catechism teaches that “the faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop” (no. 1253).
What if a person undergoes Baptism for another reason without faith? The Canon Law Digest records an interesting case. A young Mohammedan named Ali wished to marry a Catholic girl, but the parents were firmly against the marriage and convinced the bishop not to grant a dispensation for disparity of cult. Ali then decided to undergo Baptism in order to be married and the couple had a Catholic wedding. However, Ali made it clear that he was still a Mohammedan and not Catholic, even at times ridiculing the Catholic faith. This is what is called “simulating a sacrament.” The young man underwent the ritual, but had no faith, no intent to be baptized and confess Christ. Some years later, the couple obtained a legal separation and the Catholic girl sued for a declaration of nullity. The local tribunal and finally the Roman Rota (the highest court in the Catholic Church) granted the annulment on the basis of disparity of cult. Because Ali had simulated a sacrament, the Baptism was invalid. The Rota declared that the “evidence showed clearly that there was no genuine intention on the part of Ali to receive the sacrament.” Therefore, the girl was not free to marry him, because he was not Catholic and no dispensation had been obtained.
You may also find our Faith Fact What Must Be Done for a Valid Baptism? helpful.
United in the Faith,
Julia Zahra
Information Specialist
Catholics United for the Faith
827 North Fourth Street
Steubenville, OH 43952
800-MY-FAITH (800-693-2484)
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