Eligibility?

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SaintEmily24

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Is there a certain requirement that must be filled for a person to be fully absolved of their sins?
Because, I have this friend who desires with all their heart to be Catholic. Unfortunatly her parents will not allow the full transition into the faith. They have been baptized. They are a part of everything they can for youth. They went to confession during a convention for young people. But we aren’t sure if they are fully absolved. I, personally, think that she is because we all receive the sacrament of reconciliation before we receive our First Communion.
Is there a certain eligibility?
 
I think an already-baptized person must at least have gone through the Rite of Election of RCIA. If your friend has another opportunity to confess, she should tell the priest that she is not Catholic yet, but wants to be.
 
I think an already-baptized person must at least have gone through the Rite of Election of RCIA. If your friend has another opportunity to confess, she should tell the priest that she is not Catholic yet, but wants to be.
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This sounds more like a practical (diocesan?) requirement for confession.

(Catholic geek-speak:)
Baptism is the only requirement for the validity of the sacrament.

(In plain english:)
If your friend is baptized, her sins were forgiven when she went to confession. 👍
 
SaintEmily24 said:
Is there a certain requirement that must be filled for a person to be fully absolved of their sins?
Because, I have this friend who desires with all their heart to be Catholic. Unfortunatly her parents will not allow the full transition into the faith. They have been baptized. They are a part of everything they can for youth. They went to confession during a convention for young people. But we aren’t sure if they are fully absolved. I, personally, think that she is because we all receive the sacrament of reconciliation before we receive our First Communion.
Is there a certain eligibility?
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the only eligibility is to be baptized
 
She is baptized Christian. Her parents were church hoppers. Does that make a difference?
 
What do you mean by valid? Doesn’t the Catholic faith honor all baptisms?
 
Catholicben said:
(Catholic geek-speak:)
Baptism is the only requirement for the validity of the sacrament.

(In plain english:)
If your friend is baptized, her sins were forgiven when she went to confession. 👍
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joe_cool said:
Has to have been in a trinitarian formula using water.

… that much I’m sure of.
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I do believe that it is a VALID absolution, of course if the proper form and intention was there. Technically, a Priest CAN absolve someone who is not truly sorry for their sins and intends to do it again. This would not be a LICIT absolution. Also, in the case that the OP posted, again, I believe it to be valid, however it would only be licit if your friend fully understands and accepts the Catholic teaching of the sacrament.
 
SaintEmily24 said:
What do you mean by valid? Doesn’t the Catholic faith honor all baptisms?
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No, we don’t. There are requirements for something to be valid. These include proper form and intention. Form: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost. You can’t use Creator, Redeemer, Sactifier, or something along those lines. Also, the intention must be to do as the Church does. This means that we only recognize as valid those Baptisms done with the belief that if is a Sacrament and adds salvic grace. If the person baptizing thinks it to be only a symbol, it is not valid.

Someone, please correct me if I am wrong.

Pax!
 
RIght. Some baptisms are not made in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and thus would not be valid. And some that even are SAID to be (by Catholics yet!) are not. There was a whole HOST of invalid baptisms relatively recently that were made in formula like "The Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier. " Check Catholic Culture report from February 28, 2008 where they note the Vatican specifically announces that baptisms with this formula are NOT valid.
 
DeepeningFaith said:
No, we don’t. There are requirements for something to be valid. These include proper form and intention. Form: I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit/Ghost. You can’t use Creator, Redeemer, Sactifier, or something along those lines. Also, the intention must be to do as the Church does. This means that we only recognize as valid those Baptisms done with the belief that if is a Sacrament and adds salvic grace. If the person baptizing thinks it to be only a symbol, it is not valid.

Someone, please correct me if I am wrong.

Pax!
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you are both right and wrong. Yes the intention must be to do what the church does, But for example, you dont believe anyof it but you intend to do what the church does, even if you only believe that it is gettign the person wet. It would still be a valid baptizism.
Say in the case of a newborn that may die at any moment and the only people there are the mother and a nurse that is an athiest. The mother not being able to do can ask the nurse to batize the baby. It would be valid.
 
oneGODoneCHURCH said:
you are both right and wrong. Yes the intention must be to do what the church does, But for example, you dont believe anyof it but you intend to do what the church does, even if you only believe that it is gettign the person wet. It would still be a valid baptizism.
Say in the case of a newborn that may die at any moment and the only people there are the mother and a nurse that is an athiest. The mother not being able to do can ask the nurse to batize the baby. It would be valid.
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If the person baptizing simply believes that they are just getting the person wet and that it is merely a symbol, it is NOT valid. When baptizing, you must also intend what the Church intends, which is salvation. If you don’t believe the Baptism will save the soul, it is not a valid Baptism. Sorry, but it’s not. I encourage one of the Priests online to please say if this is correct or not.
 
DeepeningFaith said:
If the person baptizing simply believes that they are just getting the person wet and that it is merely a symbol, it is NOT valid. When baptizing, you must also intend what the Church intends, which is salvation. If you don’t believe the Baptism will save the soul, it is not a valid Baptism. Sorry, but it’s not. I encourage one of the Priests online to please say if this is correct or not.
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They only need to intend to do what the Church does. They do not have to believe what the church beleive about it.

from NEW ADVENT Catholic Encyclopedia
Code: 
   [newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm)
“In case of necessity, however, not only a priest or deacon, but even a layman or woman, **nay, even a pagan or heretic **can baptize, provided he observes the form used by the Church, and intends to perform what the Church performs.”
 
SaintEmily24 said:
What do you mean by valid? Doesn’t the Catholic faith honor all baptisms?
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a valid baptism consists of three things
  1. valid matter - pure, clean water poured on the head or the person is immersed in the water
  2. valid form - the Trinitarian Formula, “i baptize you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”
  3. valid intent - the person performing the baptism intends to do what the Chuch intends in baptism
if these three elements are fulfilled, then the baptism is valid. most other Christian churches with invalid baptisms usually get #1 right, and mostly get #2 wrong (use a different Formula, usually only in the Name of Jesus Christ or just God the Father)
 
SaintEmily24 said:
Doesn’t the Catholic faith honor all baptisms?
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All Orthodox and most Protestant baptisms are honored. LDS (who believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are three separate beings) and JW (who do not believe in Jesus’ divinity) converts are rebaptized, as are those from some of the pentecostal movements that do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity.

The decision that Mormons must be rebaptized before converting to Catholicism has been in place since 2001, per wwrn.org/articles/14811/
 
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