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Did a Roman Catholic priest perform 'invalid' baptisms for years?

...s alone. Donatism To me, this all sounds reminiscent of the Donatist controversy in the fourth century. This was a teaching claiming that the validity of sacraments depends on the moral character of the minister; e.g., if the one performing a baptism were in sin, then the baptism would be invalid. This sect persisted for a long time and eventually died out sometime after the fifth century, with the help of Augustine of Hippo. It obviously isn’t exactly the same issue faced by the early church, as Donatism was more about the moral standing of the ordained bishop or priest (and whether they recanted their faith during harsh persecution), rather than whether t...