Baptism of blood (martyrdom before baptism) is also recognized as valid, as is baptism of desire. This is when actual Baptism is impossible (as the thief on the Cross). This was officially promulgated by the sixth session of the Council of Trent in its "Decree Concerning Justification," chapter 14, speaking about justification "through the laver of regeneration or its desire."

  Baptism of Desire was also taught by Pope Pius XII in his 1943 encyclical Mystici Corporis, by the Vatican's Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office in 1949 and by The Catechism of the Catholic Church in 1992.

  For instance, in its 1949 letter to Archbishop Richard Cushing of Boston, the Vatican's Holy Office referred to Mystici Corporis and said, "Toward the end of this same encyclical letter, when most affectionately inviting to unity those who do not belong to the body of the Catholic Church, he [Pius XII] mentioned those who `are related to the Mystical Body of the Redeemer by certain unconscious yearning and desire,' and these he by no means excludes from eternal salvation, but on the other hand states that they are in a condition `in which they cannot be sure of their salvation' since `they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church.'

  "With these wise words, he reproves both those who exclude from eternal salvation all united to the Church only by implicit desire, and those who falsely assert that men can be saved equally well in every religion."

  Baptism is a Sacrament that indelibly marks the soul; therefore it can't be repeated. Theologians commonly teach that this character remains on the soul for all eternity for the greater humiliation of those who are lost (THE SACRAMENTS, Connell, page 28).

  AN EXPLANATION OF THE BALTIMORE CATECHISM outlines what takes place at Solemn Baptism. The priest asks the baby, "What do you ask of the Church of God?" and the godparents reply, "Faith." The baby is then exhorted to keep the commandments and love God; then the priest breathes three times upon the child and bids the evil spirit depart. He prays several times for the baby, putting salt in his mouth, placing the end of his stole over the child, placing a little spittle on the ears and nose. Then the priest asks if the baby renounces the devil and all his works and pomps; when the godparents answer, the baby is anointed with holy oil. The priest again asks for a profession of faith, and then baptizes the baby. After baptism, the head is anointed with holy chrism and places a lighted candle in the hand (Ed-presumably of the godparents, although the book does not say). Then the priest will sign the baby with the sign of the cross.

  The Knights of Columbus booklet THIS IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH makes some interesting remarks about Baptism. It starts by a partial quote of I Peter 3:21, and goes on to deny what they originally claimed. "It is no wonder that St. Peter says simply, ' Baptism saves you .' This does not mean, of course, that Baptism is an automatic guarantee of salvation.".

  Scriptures used to "prove" baptism are Matthew 3:15; Mark 16:16; John 3:3,5,7; Acts 2:38, 8:12,36, 9:18, 10:47, 16:15,33, 19:5; Romans 6:3,4; I Corinthians 1:14,17, 10:2, 12:13; Galatians 3:27; Ephesians 4:5; Colossians 2:12; Titus 3:5; I Peter 3:21.

  "By the Sacrament of Baptism into the crucified and risen Christ man is reborn to a sharing of the divine life" (Vatican II).

From DOCUMENTS OF VATICAN II, Abbott, p. 32. "In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the church."

  There has been talk, in modern Roman Catholic circles, of administering conditional Baptism, which would later be voluntarily confirmed. There has never been papal blessing of this idea even though children, at Confirmation, do agree to their baptismal vows.

  From CATHOLIC ANSWERS newsletter, December, 1989. "The code of canon law explains that clean, true and natural water is necessary for baptism (canon 849). Liquids can be assessed in three categories: those that are certainly valid, those that are doubtfully valid, and those that are certainly invalid.

  "Certainly valid liquids include: water as found in rivers, oceans, lakes, hot springs, melted ice or snow, mineral water, dew, slightly muddy water (as long as the water predominates), and slightly brackish water.

  Doubtfully valid liquids are those that are a mixture of water and some other substance, such as beer, soda, light tea, thin soup or broth, and artificially scented water such as rose water.

  The last category is of liquids which are certainly invalid. It includes: oil, urine, grease, phlegm, shoe polish, and milk. The rule of thumb is that, in emergency situations, you should always try to baptize with certainly valid liquids, beginning, of course, with plain, clean water. If plain water isn't available, then baptize with a doubtfully valid liquid, using the formula, `If this water is valid, I baptize you in the name of the Father...' If the danger of death passes, the person should later be conditionally baptized with certainly valid water. Never attempt to baptize anyone with a certainly invalid liquid."

  From the 1989 CATHOLIC ALMANAC. "Baptism is the sacrament of spiritual regeneration by which a person is incorporated in Christ and made a member of his Mystical Body, given grace, and cleansed from original sin. Actual sins and the punishment due for them are remitted also if the person baptized was guilty of such sins. The theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are given with grace. The sacrament confers a character on the soul and can be received only once." (page 223)

  Nathaniel Ryan Morreala was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Morreala of Marlboro, Mass. They were supporters of a proposed abortion clinic. Their pastor refused to perform the baptism because of their public support of birth control and abortion advocate William Baird. Jesuit priest Joseph O'Rourke defied orders from his superiors and baptized 3 month old Nathaniel on the steps of the church his parents attend.

  Boston archdiocese officials have said the baptism was valid but not licit because O'Rourke did not have his superior's permission and because the Morrealas did not renounce their belief in a woman's right to abortion.

  O'Rourke said, "The worst thing to come out of all of this is that the public can see the chaos in the Catholic community and the blindness about what the true facts are in the area of reproduction. O'Rourke is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York-based organization called CATHOLICS FOR FREE CHOICE .

  Comment by Rev. Connell Maguire, Groton, CT, "Consistent with Catholic tradition that baptism is necessary for Heaven, the failings of the parents are insufficient cause to justify denial of the sacrament to infants. Authentic Catholic tradition indicates that the celebration of the Sacrament is an occasion to exhort rather that coerce the parents."

  Despite the opposition of many members of the Jesuit community and other friends, Jesuit priest O'Rourke, who baptized the baby, was dismissed from the Jesuit order.

  Comment by Rev. James O'Shaughnessy, Notre Dame. "This entire affair is a sad commentary on the present state of the Church as a community of believers. Baptism is not to be done just by anyone at any time under any circumstances. This act of dying and rising, this rebirth, must also find its full expression in the ritual acts of initiation. An act of protest in a circus atmosphere on a church steps hardly qualifies. Now we attack the bastion of authoritarianism with clubs made of `instant sacraments.'"

  Cartoon: priest to baby over baptismal font, "And dost thou renounce abortion?"

  Jesuit theologian Joseph Powers of California's Alma College would postpone the ceremony until the age of ten or twelve. "The whole meaning of baptism," he states, "is not to make a Christian out of a child but to incorporate the individual, at some time in life, into the community of the church."

  Some modern theologians have suggested: "When through excusable ignorance one does not know the necessity of baptism but desires to do the will of God, Baptism of desire can be applied. This is being applied to some unbaptized babies who would otherwise have been in limbo; since they would have gladly been baptized had they grown to adulthood the baptism of desire is already applied.

  From THE SACRAMENTS, Rev. Connell, C.SS.R., page 3, "For the spiritual rebirth of the soul to the life of grace, He prescribed the external washing of the body with water - Baptism - which all must receive in order to enter the Kingdom of heaven.

  From CATHOLIC INTERNATIONAL, 1-14 April 1991, p. 327. "On 24 January 1991, the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC II) issued a Report on the topic of what the New Testament calls koinonia: `communion.' in doing so, ... it steps back, as it were, to take a broader view: to recognize the real, though yet imperfect, measure of communion that has already been achieved and exists between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, with a view to working towards fuller unity. "...Visibly, this communion is entered through baptism, and nourished and expressed in the celebration of the eucharist... "Through the communion of all those who confess Jesus Christ and who live according to their confession, God realizes his plan of salvation for all the world. This is not to say that God's saving work is limited to those who confess Christ explicitly."

  Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXVIII, "Baptism is a Sacrament of the New Testament, ordained by Jesus Christ, not only for the solemn admission of the party baptized into the visible church, but also to be unto him a sign and seal of the covenant of grace, of his ingrafting into Christ, of regeneration, of remission of sins. . .

  IV. . . the infants of one or both believing parents are to be baptized.

  VI . . . by the right use of this ordinance, the grace promised is not only offered, but really exhibited and conferred by the Holy Ghost.

  Directions for Public Worship of God, Westminster Divines. Of Baptism . .. it is a seal of the covenant of grace, of our ingrafting into Christ, and of our union with Him, of remission of sins, regeneration, adoption and life eternal.

  That the water, in baptism, representeth and signifieth both the blood of Christ, which taketh away all guilt of sin, and of the sanctifying virtue of Christ.

  That they are Christians, federally holy before baptism.

  Prayer is joined for sanctifying the water to its spiritual use.

  John 1:13 proves that being born again is not baptism. He says the New Birth is not of the will of man, and baptism cannot be performed without the operation of the will of the priest or minister.

  We can compare Titus 3:5 with Matthew 3:15; the latter tells us Baptism is a work of righteousness, and the former says we are not saved by works of righteousness.

  We can compare biblical regeneration with baptismal regeneration. No change takes place with the latter, but when one is scripturally regenerated, he is a new creature in Christ.

No guarantee is given with baptismal regeneration, but according to I Peter 1:3,4 a Christian is begotten again to a lively hope . . . to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.

  The difference is that baptismal regeneration is finite; biblical regeneration is infinite.

  From CATHOLICISM VS. FUNDAMENTALISM, page 175, we can see a basic Roman Catholic error regarding the New Birth. Karl Keating quotes John 3:5 as saying that man must be re-born by water and the Holy Spirit; the Bible says, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit..." This clearly means a first birth "of water," which Jesus describes in verse 6 as the natural birth, and a re-birth by the Spirit, which Jesus describes in verse 6 as a spiritual new birth.)

   Karl Keating further states (page 178), that "Paul notes that baptism has replaced circumcision (Colossians 1:11,12)."