Pope Benedict xvi and the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith have issued a stern warning that baptism is invalid when performed using gender-neutral phraseology.

Catholic World News reports:

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (cdf) released a statement on February 29 saying that a baptism “in the name of the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier,” is not a valid Christian sacrament.The invalid formula, the Vatican statement points out, arises from feminist ideology, and an attempt “to avoid using the words Father and Son, which are held to be chauvinistic.”However, the revised formula can “undermine faith in the trinity,” the cdf says. Citing the Gospel of St. Matthew, the cdf notes that Jesus ordered His apostles to baptize “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” That formula is an “adequate expression of trinitarian faith” and a response to Christ’s command, the cdf notes; “approximate formulae are unacceptable.”Anyone who has been baptized using that formula should be re-baptized, the Vatican document states.

Pope Benedict ordered this decision published during a recent meeting with Cardinal William Joseph Levada, the man who now holds Benedict’s old job—prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (the modern version of the Roman Congregation of the Inquisition).

Benedict has taken up the task left to him by his predecessor, Pope John Paul ii: that of evangelizing Europe to Catholicism. On July 24, 2005, only three months after becoming pope, Benedict directly quoted John Paul in his weekly address, stating, “I, bishop of Rome and pastor of the universal church, from Santiago, send to you, age-old Europe, a cry full of love: Return to yourself. Be yourself. Discover your origins. Revive your roots. Revive those authentic values that made your history glorious and your presence beneficial among the other continents” (Zenit, July 24, 2005).

This pope is re-evangelizing Europe by opposing secularism and working toward reconciliation with Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Protestant churches. This edict against gender-neutral phraseology in the Catholic baptismal ceremony is part of his stance against secular revivalism in Europe; his way of emphasizing that the only way for Europe to revive its historic “greatness” is through its Catholic roots.

For more information on Europe’s Catholic roots, read Germany and the Holy Roman Empire.