CARDINAL George Pell has backed the Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane's tough stand against renegade priests who performed "invalid" baptisms using politically correct language.
In the Catholic equivalent of the culture wars, Archbishop John Bathersby has questioned whether parishes that defy orthodoxy on baptisms should remain in the Catholic Church and has decided to take the dispute to the Vatican.
Archbishop Bathersby warned liberal South Brisbane cleric Peter Kennedy "Father, Son and Holy Spirit" not "Creator, Liberator and Sustainer" was the correct scriptural formula after a grandparent complained about a bogus baptism.
Hundreds of babies and some adults baptised in the name of the Creator, Liberator and Sustainer at St Mary's over the past decade may be called for rebaptism, but Father Kennedy has now agreed to return to the orthodox formula. "Rome would be aware of the situation in Brisbane and possibly taking a lively interest in it. I think it's right that I report to Rome," Archbishop Bathersby told The Australian last night.
Australia's most senior Catholic cleric, Cardinal Pell said he supported his fellow bishop's ruling against such "radical" changes to the sacrament of baptism as "theologically correct".
He told believers and non-believers alike that Jesus was a man -- although God was neither man nor woman but spiritual. "I would not comment specifically but I strongly support what Archbishop Bathersby is doing in Brisbane to try to regularise an irregular situation."
"People come to the Catholic Church believing that they are going to receive a Catholic (baptism) ceremony based on Catholic doctrine.
"It would be wrong for them to be misled on that and there's no doubt that the Archbishop of Brisbane's theology is correct."
Cardinal Pell agreed the baptisms might need to be performed again.
"Those words that were allegedly used, that would constitute invalidity -- there's a presumption that if it's invalid that they would have to be rebaptised.
"In every church and especially in the Catholic Church there are boundaries."
But the Cardinal, who is also Archbishop of Sydney, stopped short of saying priests who used the wrong form of words should be thrown out of the Catholic Church.
"Just because a person is making a mistake that doesn't automatically put them outside the church," he said.
Archbishop Bathersby said the accepted formula for baptism was "not chosen lightly".
"We belong to the Catholic Church and (the form of words) is absolutely full of meaning."