Vatican website translation:<\/p>\n
68. The baptismal rite should contain variants, to be used at the discretion of the local ordinary, for occasions when a very large number are to be baptized together. Moreover, a shorter rite is to be drawn up, especially for mission lands, to be used by catechists, but also by the faithful in general when there is danger of death, and neither priest nor deacon is available.<\/p>\n
Latin text:<\/p>\n
68. In ritu Baptismi ne desint accommodationes, de iudicio Ordinarii loci adhibendae, pro magno baptizandorum concursu. Conficiatur item Ordo brevior quo, praesertim in terris Missionum, catechistae, et generatim, in periculo mortis, fideles, absente sacerdote vel diacono, uti possint.<\/strong><\/p>\n Slavishly literal translation:<\/p>\n 68. In the rite of Baptism let there not be lacking accommodations, to be followed according to the judgment of the Ordinary of the locality, for a great gathering of those to be baptized. Similarly a briefer Order is to be constructed which, especially in the lands of the Missions, catechists and (generally in the danger of death) the faithful, in the absence of a priest or deacon, would be able to use.<\/p>\n At the time of the Second Vatican Council there was a general consensus among pastors and missioners that the Rite of Baptism exhibited very little flexibility in accommodating to varying pastoral situations. Article 68 gives the local Ordinary the right to permit the Rite of Baptism to be simplified (in as yet unspecified ways) when a significant number of candidates for baptism were presented (as infants) or presented themselves (as adults) in one ceremony. For parts of the world lacking the regular ministry of priests and deacons, a simplified Rite of Baptism was authorized to be used by catechists (in ordinary circumstances) or others (in emergency situations).<\/p>\n Pray Tell readers might want to comment on how well the present Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and the Rite of Baptism of Infants respond to the conciliar desire for pastoral flexibility. Are there circumstances to which the reformed rites have yet to respond?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Vatican website translation: 68. The baptismal rite should contain variants, to be used at the discretion of the local ordinary, for occasions when a very large number are to be baptized together. Moreover, a shorter rite is to be drawn up, especially for mission lands, to be used by catechists, but also by the faithful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,3814,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-initiation-rcia","category-re-reading-sacrosanctum-concilium","category-vatican-ii"],"yoast_head":"\n