A priest from a Catholic church in Phoenix has resigned after incorrectly performing thousands of baptisms, rendering them invalid.
For decades, Rev. Andres Arango, who resigned from St. Gregory Catholic Church, had been using the wrong word, saying "We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," instead of the correct phrase "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," according to Fox News.
Most Rev. Thomas J. Olmsted, bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, explained at issue with using the word "we" is that it is "not the community that baptizes a person, rather, it is Christ, and him alone, who presides at all of the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptized."
The Catholic Diocese of Phoenix explained because it is Christ who baptized, those who were baptized using the wrong words means their baptism is invalid and they are not in fact baptized, USA Today reported.
Arango, who served as a pastor, parochial administrator, parochial vicar, and other religious titles in Arizona, California, and Brazil over the past 20 years, performed thousands of baptisms, the outlet noted. For worshippers, this impacts sacred practices including Confirmation, Communion and even marriages among Catholics.
"I deeply regret my error and how this has affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere," Arango said in a statement, adding that "in order to do this," he had resigned from his position as pastor from St. Gregory parish.
"I do not believe Fr. Andres had any intentions to harm the faithful or deprive them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments," Olmsted said. "On behalf of our local Church, I too am sincerely sorry that this error has resulted in disruption to the sacramental lives of a number of the faithful. This is why I pledge to take every step necessary to remedy the situation for everyone impacted."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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