A Catholic priest has been forced to quit after discovering he performed ‘invalid’ baptisms for most of his more than 20-year career.
The Catholic Diocese of Phoenix in Arizona have said any baptisms that took place by Father Andres Arango up until 17th June 2021 are ‘presumed invalid’ because during ceremonies, he used the word ‘we’ instead of ‘I’.
In a statement on its website, the diocese said: “We are saddened to announce some difficult information regarding baptisms performed by Rev. Andres Arango, a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix, who also had been a member of the Eudist religious community.
“After careful study, it has been determined that the form (words) Fr. Andres used for the sacrament of baptism has been incorrect, and all of the baptisms he has performed until June 17, 2021, are presumed invalid.
“Any baptisms performed by Fr. Andres after June 17, 2021, are presumed valid and do not need to be repeated.
They added: “Please be assured that things like this have happened before in the history of the Church, and the Diocese of Phoenix is ready to do all we can to address every person who has been invalidly baptized by Fr. Andres.”
According to the FAQ section on their website, Father Andres would say ‘we baptise you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ during the Rite of Baptism in English and Spanish for children and adults.
“It is not the community that baptises a person and incorporates them into the Church of Christ; rather, it is Christ, and Christ alone, who presides at all sacraments; therefore, it is Christ who baptises,” the diocese explain.
“The Baptismal Formula (the words used in the Rite) has always been guarded for this reason: so it is clear that we receive our baptism through Jesus and not the community.
“If you were baptised using the wrong words, that means your baptism is invalid, and you are not baptised. You will need to be baptised.”
Father Andres has apologised for the error, adding that he will dedicate his “energy and full time ministry to help remedy this and heal those affected.”
[Image: Ruslan Lytvyn via Shutterstock]