Dear TIA,

Thank you so much for your in depth comments on my invalid protestant baptism. Friday evening I became a new home for the Holy Ghost by being baptized in the old rite [of the Catholic Church], conditionally. Afterwards, I was confirmed, conditionally.

It was your answers that helped me persuade the priest to do it. Priests are so busy with temporal things these days.

Again, thank you. I'm overjoyed!

    Sincerely,

     D.L.



TIA responds:

Dear Mr. D.L.,

We are overjoyed as well to have a new member of the Catholic Church. You are most welcome in our Holy Faith! May Our Lady make you a great fighter for her honor and for the glory and exaltation of Holy Mother Church.

As a suggestion, in case this was not part of your conditional Baptism: Do make an abjuration of the heresies of Protestantism. It is the recitation of the Tridentine Creed according to the formula of Pope Pius IV.

We are honored and highly rewarded to have been of some help in your entrance into the Catholic Church.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

TIA,

I believe that [regarding Baptism] things do not need to be so complicated.

I follow this simple belief: Only Catholics are Christian; so only our sacraments are valid as the most important thing for validity is the intention. Just because the same matter and form are used by others (e.g. the Orthodox) does not make a sacrament valid.

I do not recognize anybody else as Christian, as to do so would amount to acknowledging that Christ is divided, which He isn't. The command of Christ to baptize was given to the first Catholics alone. There is just one Church, and that is the Catholic Church which is the Mystical Body of Christ.

Just like only those physically within the ark of Noah were saved; so also only those within this ARK will be saved. The rest are damned unless they convert and die within the Catholic Faith.

There are no valid sacraments outside the Catholic Church. To be within the ARK, the waters of Baptism have to be poured on your head. "Baptism of desire" and "blood" are pious errors if not heresies.

     Dr. N.R., Dubai



TIA responds:

Dr. N.R.,

We are sorry to contradict you, but you are positively wrong. Here is what the Council of Trent declares about the validity of baptism given by heretics:

"If someone asserts that the baptism given also by heretics in the name of the Father of the Son and the Holy Ghost with the intention to do what the Church does, is not a true baptism, let him be anathema" (Session VII, March 3, 1547, On the Baptism, canon 4, Denzinger n. 860).

Because of this doctrine, the Church advises Bishops and priests in charge of administering the Sacraments - or those lay Catholics who help a person to convert - to carefully analyze the particular circumstances in which each person has received baptism from heretics. This is done in order to establish whether he needs to receive a conditional or absolute Baptism, or whether he does not need to receive the Sacrament again.

If we want to be Catholics and think with the mind of the Church, we should follow what she tells us to do, be it complicated or simple. Please note that the Church and the Catholic Faith are not necessarily simple to fit our small minds, but include an ensemble of mysteries that we have to believe without understanding. Sacrament is a word that means mystery, and therefore the doctrine regarding the Seven Sacraments is normally difficult to understand. In the matter of Baptism, this rule applies: To simplify on this topic is to mutilate a living reality and to incur the condemnation of the Church.

Although it is frequent today to find simplistic reasoning like yours - the sede-vacantists have similar ideas regarding the Sacraments administered by progressivist priests - we hope you will change your mind, so that you will not have a bad surprise when you will die and appear before the Just Judge.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

Dear TIA,

Thank you so very much for your wonderful apostolate and your dedication to Our Lord and His Truth.

An elderly neighbor attends the local Novus Ordo services. She said that on this past Easter Sunday the congregation was led in renewing their baptismal vows - so far, so good, I think. Then she said the priest told them this was the same as when they were actually baptized. So now all their sins have been forgiven, just by renewing their baptismal vows.

I asked her, what about confession of sin? But she didn't seem to think that was necessary, as it was not mentioned by the priest.

This sounds very wrong to me. I would appreciate your comments.

     Thank you,

     T.J.



TIA responds:

Dear T.J.,

We believe that in the ceremony you reported there must be some misunderstanding either on the part of the priest or the person who heard him explain the ceremony.

As far as we known, the renewal of the vows of Baptism is an act of piety. It is very praiseworthy act to make as a manifestation of one's desire to always be faithful to the Catholic Church and profess the integrity of the Faith. When such a profession is well made, it normally brings graces as other acts of piety: saying a Rosary, novena or litany, making a good meditation, etc.

This renewal of the vows of Baptism, however, does not operate per se a new spiritual reality, such as the absolution of sins. It only has the value of a good moral intention and an invocation of spiritual help from Heaven to accomplish it.

Therefore, if the priest did not add a formal general absolution to that ceremony, no absolution was given.

This is what we can observe from the facts as you reported.

     Cordially,

     TIA correspondence desk

TIA,

Thank you for your very calm and rational defense against the attack you came under from the SPLC. I had not been aware of their attack beforehand.

In my limited experience, the SPLC are driven by emotion rather than reason, and their chief emotion appears to be viciousness. They are an evil entity.

     E.P.L.

TIA,

Who do you really want us to be guided by? The world wide gathering of bishops at Vatican II or your group of dissenters? I for one will take my chances with the bishops!!

If you really believe you hold the truth... why not start your own church... if you are right, the Holy Spirit will allow you to outnumber the Roman Catholic Church.

     D.M.

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