Phoenix, USA
Priest had changed a word – now all his performed baptisms are invalid
The priest had used a wrong word in his baptisms (symbol photo)
© Getty Images
A US priest has resigned after it was revealed that thousands of baptisms he had performed were invalid. And all because he had changed a single word.
Small word, big effect: A priest in Phoenix, Arizona, resigned because he used the wrong word in his baptisms. Instead of “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, the minister said “We baptize you…”. As a result, thousands of baptisms he had performed during his priestly career are invalid, as reported by several US media.
Accordingly, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 2020 clarified that the use of the “we” during the sacrament is invalid. “The problem with using ‘we’ is that it is not the community that baptizes a person, but Christ and he alone who presides over all the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptizes,” the bishop says of the Diocese of Phoenix, Thomas J. Olmsted.
Baptisms of the priest are all invalid
In an open letter, Olmsted said: “It is with sincere pastoral concern that I inform the faithful that the baptisms performed by the Rev. Andres Arango, a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix, are invalid. This decision was taken after careful consideration by those responsible for the diocese and after consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome”.
According to a spokeswoman, Arango has been a priest since 1995 and has been conducting baptisms ever since. He also practiced in San Diego and Brazil. “I assume he used the wrong words from the beginning of his priesthood until the diocese was made aware of it last summer”. She said she doesn’t know exactly how many people have been affected but believes the Numbers in the thousands Baptisms performed after June 17, 2021 are considered valid, she added.
Priest expresses his regrets to the congregation in a letter
In a letter to his congregation, the minister wrote: “It saddens me to learn that during my ministry as a priest I have performed invalid baptisms by regularly using an incorrect formula. I deeply regret my mistake and the impact this has had had on numerous people in your community and elsewhere.”
He said he resigned effective February 1 so that he could “focus my energies and full-time ministry to fixing this and healing those affected. I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience my actions have caused and sincerely apologize to you for your prayers, forgiveness and understanding,” he wrote.
The diocese said Arango “has not disqualified himself from his vocation and ministry” and remains “a priest in good standing”. Those who believe they or their children were baptized by him could fill out an online form to be duly baptized. Subsequent sacraments, including marriage, may need to be repeated by those invalidly baptized by Arango, according to the Diocese of Phoenix.
Swell: NBC News, “New York Post”, St. Gregory Catholic Church