Vatican website translation:
69. In place of the rite called the “Order of supplying what was omitted in the baptism of an infant,” a new rite is to be drawn up. This should manifest more fittingly and clearly that the infant, baptized by the short rite, has already been received into the Church.
And a new rite is to be drawn up for converts who have already been validly baptized; it should indicate that they are now admitted to communion with the Church.
Latin text:
69. Loco ritus qui “Ordo supplendi omissa super infantem baptizatum” appellatur, novus conficiatur quo apertius et congruentius indicetur infantem, qui ritu brevi baptizatus fuerit, iam receptum esse in Ecclesiam.
Item novus ritus conficiatur pro valide iam baptizatis, ad sacra catholica conversis, quo significetur eos in Ecclesiae communionem admitti.
Slavishly literal translation:
69. In place of the rite which is called “Order for supplying those things omitted upon a baptized infant/child,” a new order is to be constructed by which it will be indicated more openly and appropriately that the infant/child, who had been baptized by a short rite, is already received into the Church.
Likewise a new rite is to be constructed for those already validly baptized, now converted to catholic sacred realities, by which it would be signified that they are admitted into the communion of the Church.
As some readers of Pray Tell may know, I have been on the road in Orlando, FL, Kona, HI, Wollongong, Australia, Beaumont, TX, and St. Louis, MO for the month of January. Now that I am back at my home base in Minnesota I can resume my article by article reading of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
Given their concern that the liturgical sign systems clearly express the grace that they intend to communicate (the “truth” of the liturgy), it is not surprising that the Council Fathers would turn their attention to two pastoral situations not well served by the rites in force at the time of the Council. First, in the case when an infant who had been in danger of death and was therefore baptized with the simple Trinitarian formula and laving of water by someone intending to do what the Church intends to do in baptizing did not in fact die but returned to health, those responsible for the child frequently presented the child for more extensive prayers in their own local church. The priest was instructed to proceed through the rite of baptism, omitting the Trinitarian formula and water laving, but otherwise following the existing rite. A problem arises from this practice insofar as the rites prior to the water baptism treat the infant/child as though he/she were unbaptized (employing remnants of the catechumenal rites). But in fact the child has been validly baptized and does not “revert” to the status of a catechumen for the sake of the rite. Thus the Council Fathers wanted a more appropriate order of service to be constructed to face this pastoral situation.
Similarly, the Council Fathers recognized that those who had already been validly baptized into another Christian communion through water baptism, a Trinitarian formula, and the intention of the baptizing minister to do what the Church intends in baptizing (i.e., most Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians, etc.), were not of the same ecclesial status as those who had never been validly baptized (i.e., Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, agnostics, atheists). While the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is intended for this latter group to mark their conversion to Christ, the former group have already been claimed by Christ in baptism and are now moving as members of Christian communions separated from the Catholic Church into union with the Catholic Church. This is best ritualized by a Profession of Faith. Note that both desires of the Council Fathers were fulfilled in the work of the Consilium.
Pray Tell readers may wish to discuss: 1) how effectively these rituals respond to the Council Fathers’ desires and to pastoral need; 2) whether there are other pastoral situations relating to Christian Initiation that need other forms of ritualization; 3) whether there are forms of ritualization or pastoral practice in the present Rite of Baptism for Children and/or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults that might be questioned in the light of theological concerns or pastoral practice.
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