Thousands of Baptisms Invalidated Over Wording Error
Image credit: Choja / Getty Images [via NBC News]
The Facts
- Rev. Andres Arango, a Catholic priest in Pheonix, AZ, has resigned as church pastor after the Diocese concluded that thousands of baptisms he performed were invalid.
- Arango had been using 'we' instead of the officially authorized 'I' since he started performing the rite in 1995, until the error was brought to his attention last year.
- His formulation was reportedly incorrect because, in the Catholic faith, baptism is performed by Christ alone, not the community.
Sources Split
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The Spin
Narrative A
The Catholic Church preaches love and foregiveness, but when one of its loyal servants makes a minor error in form he is punished and removed from the parish community that loves him.
Narrative B
The validity of the sacraments offered by the Church as a path to eternal salvation rest entirely on the form that Christ gave them. This is a basic but fundamental lapse in training and discipline that has characterized the Church in the post-Vatican II era.