Enciclopedia Catolică: „In case of necessity, baptism can be administered lawfully and validly by any person whatsoever who observes the essential conditions, whether this person be a Catholic layman or any other man or woman, heretic or schismatic, infidel or Jew.“
The essential conditions are that the person pour water upon the one to be baptized, at the same time pronouncing the words: „I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Moreover, he must thereby intend really to baptize the person, or technically, he must intend to perform what the Church performs when administering this sacrament.“
ait quidem dominos, Nolite illos prohibere ad me venire: veniant ergo, dum adolescunt, dum discunt, dum quo veniant docentur: fiant Christiani cum Christum nosse potuerint. quid festinat innocens aetas ad remissionem peccatorum? Tertulian De Baptismo 18
