Who was the very first person to use the words "Baptism of Desire"?
That is a question that demands an answer.
The Council of Trent adds the description of "of the desire thereof" and some people are saying that this means there's a Baptism of Desire in addition to the Baptism of Water. When and who started bandying about this term?
The sentence "or the desire thereof" would mean that a Catholic who has access to the sacraments or is in a location separated from the sacraments must have a desire for the sacraments. A Catholic should, in his heart, have a desire for the sacraments.
How does a non-Catholic on some unvisited Pacific Island out there in the Pacific Ocean desire the sacraments? Especially in the 1600's and not in todays highly connected world with TV, radio and the internet?
If the Council of Trent fathers intended to delineate a "Baptism of Desire" which would be separated from, but equal to, the other sacraments, well, they would have dedicated a complete docuмent for such a momentous event.
So, when, where and by who did the term "Baptism of Desire" become such common parlance in the Catholic Church?
Think of the Devil smoltering in Hell with the stench of sulfur everywhere. He's moaning to himself, "I don't care if some lost soul renounces Christ out of allegiance to me or if he remounces Christ for lust, or whether it's for great wealth or through deceptive lingo or just out of laziness, all I care is that the soul renounces Christ and I collect him as mine."