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To: Wallace T.
Great news! Welcome home, Judge Bork!

NB: The Catholic Church recognizes all Christian baptisms, whether performed by Protestant, Orthodox, or Evangelical clergy, as long as these are valid in form (trinitarian) and matter (water).

Valid baptisms perfomed by laymen and even non-Christians are also recognized, believe it or not!

I was baptized as an teenager in an Assemblies of God church. When I was reconciled to the Catholic Church, our priest declined to perform another baptism, since my "Evangelical baptism" was done in the name of the Holy Trinity and was thus completely valid. When serious doubt exists as to the validity or correct performance of a previous baptism, a bishop will sometimes authorize a "conditional" Catholic baptism (i.e. "just in case"), but this is rare; the Evangelical church where I was originally baptized didn't even record my baptism, but its validity was accepted by the Church upon my word alone, with the option of obtaining testimony of witnesses (which they did not ask for).

40 posted on 07/24/2003 12:42:25 PM PDT by B-Chan (Catholic. Monarchist. Texan. Any questions?)
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To: B-Chan
FYI: The Catholic church will even recognize a baptism by a non believer, if the non believer does it in sympathy with the belief of the person being baptised, or his/her parent/guardian.

When we were in medical school, all students were taught to baptise infants if the mother was a Catholic. My Jewish friend baptised several very sick or dying infants.

There is still a theological debate about this (limbo for unbaptised infants is a tradition, but not a dogma, and some believe infants probably go to heaven.) but knowing her infant was baptised was and is a comfort to a grieving mother. So my Jewish friends baptised, not as believers, but as an act of charity so that the mother's religious beliefs would be honored. Usually they got the chaplain or a Catholic nurse to do it, but sometimes there just isn't time...
116 posted on 07/24/2003 4:47:03 PM PDT by LadyDoc
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