Who can baptize?

[In_Hoc_Signo312]

I saw a video recently of a woman telling a story about her conversion to Christianity. She said that she thought the house she was living in had demons inside it which went away when a friend she had recently met prayed inside it. She then filled her bathtub with water and asked her friend to baptize her on the spot. I gathered from this video that she actually didn’t know much, if anything, about Christianity, so I started thinking about it because of a different thread related to baptism.

I know that anybody can baptize in an emergency when death could likely occur. But what do you make of what I described above? If a non-Christian friend approached you and specifically requested that YOU baptize them (as a Catholic or as a “generic” Christian), is it permissible to do it for them? Is it permissible to perform a baptism on somebody because they asked it from you specifically?

 

[Red_James]

I don’t think so. As you said, anyone can baptize in emergencies, but seeming as this isn’t an emergency it would be best to refer such a person to a local parish where they can be baptized by a member of the clergy. Programs exist for adults to teach them more about the Catholic faith and the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist where they can receive all three sacraments during the celebration of the Easter Vigil.

EDIT: It would be wonderful if you could be a sponsor such a person’s baptism/confirmation which is a very important role, if they specifically want you involved.

 

[Usige]

As a general rule I wouldn’t. The only possible situation I could imagine woud be a case where someone truly desired baptism, but would refuse it from anyone but me (say extreme form of anxiety around strangers). In that case, I might consider doing so as the graces of Baptism would out weight an illicit act.

In the case presented in the original post I would not have done so. First because it did not seem to be an immediate need that would go unfulfilled if not done then, but also because it would seem to be motivated by a form of superstition in reaction to fear. One of the criterion for non emergency baptism should not simply be a desire to be baptized, but should also include a desire to live a life in Christ. Nothing in the original post implies that that intent was there, though one could argue that imperfect intent still provided the graces for a fuller conversion to the faith. In that case I would genuinely recommend that they either approach a member of the clergy or (if they refused Catholicism) another minister that could instruct them in a way that lead them closer to Christ.

 

[Gorgias]

I know that anybody can baptize in an emergency when death could likely occur. But what do you make of what I described above? If a non-Christian friend approached you and specifically requested that YOU baptize them (as a Catholic or as a “generic” Christian), is it permissible to do it for them? Is it permissible to perform a baptism on somebody because they asked it from you specifically?

For a Catholic, I think that the answer is “no”. Lay Catholics can baptize in an emergency. If the baptism is “Christian” rather than “Catholic” – that is, if it’s baptism into a Christian ecclesial community rather than into the Catholic Church – then the norms of that community apply. If that community allows its lay members to baptize, then all is well.

 

[TheTrinitySaves]

Baptism should not be taken lightly. It is a serious act of faith and requires full cooperation since it bestows god’s grace upon us. That being said, if it is an emergency lay people may baptize non catholics granted they have turned towards god and repent and want to be closer to him in the case that they leave this earth. Beside that it is usually best left to a deacon or priest to perform the sacramental honors.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

…She then filled her bathtub with water and asked her friend to baptize her on the spot. I gathered from this video that she actually didn’t know much, if anything, about Christianity…

I know that anybody can baptize in an emergency when death could likely occur. But what do you make of what I described above? If a non-Christian friend approached you and specifically requested that YOU baptize them (as a Catholic or as a “generic” Christian), is it permissible to do it for them? Is it permissible to perform a baptism on somebody because they asked it from you specifically?

A Catholic should refer that person to a Catholic pastor for proper discernment of the desire for baptism and the possibility of demonic possession. Emergency baptisms should only be done in danger of imminent death.

 

[InThePew]

The short answer is anyone who has the right intention. the baptism may not be licit (that is, it may not comply with the law) but may still be valid.

The ordinary (that is: usual) minister of baptism is a priest of deacon. Where neither are readily available (so not just in emergencies) a lay-catechist designated for this function by the local bishop can baptise. If need be, anyone who has the right intention can do it but this is rare. Adult baptisms also fall into a different category.

 

[bardegaulois]

I saw a video recently of a woman telling a story about her conversion to Christianity. She said that she thought the house she was living in had demons inside it which went away when a friend she had recently met prayed inside it. She then filled her bathtub with water and asked her friend to baptize her on the spot. I gathered from this video that she actually didn’t know much, if anything, about Christianity, so I started thinking about it because of a different thread related to baptism.

I know that anybody can baptize in an emergency when death could likely occur. But what do you make of what I described above? If a non-Christian friend approached you and specifically requested that YOU baptize them (as a Catholic or as a “generic” Christian), is it permissible to do it for them? Is it permissible to perform a baptism on somebody because they asked it from you specifically?

While any person (even an unbaptized person) may baptize in an emergency situation, the sacraments are the proper province of a priest. The only situation in which I would ever baptize a person would be upon their request and if there were a likelihood that they would die before a cleric could easily be summoned.

St Thomas Aquinas covers this question in the Summa, third part, question LXVII – “Of the Ministers by Whom the Sacrament of Baptism is Conferred.”