Catholic World News News Feature

Australian bishop rebukes priests for invalid baptisms November 23, 2004

The Archbishop of Brisbane has admonished a parish priest to stop using an "inclusive language" form of Baptism that may render the sacrament invalid, according to an Australian newspaper account.

The Courier-Mail reported that Archbishop John Bathersby wrote to two priests serving in a South Brisbane parish, telling them that they must cease baptizing in the name of the "Creator, Liberator, and Sustainer." The archbishop instructed the priests to resume use of the traditional formula, baptizing in the name of the "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

Father Peter Kennedy, the pastor in question, told the Courier-Mail that he had been using the alternative wording for "a number of years." But he said that he would obey the archbishop's order, rather than face disciplinary action. The pastor told the newspaper that Archbishop Bathersby had supported the liturgical experimentation in his parish over the years, but "in the current environment he has to be seen to be taking a stand."