All baptisms performed by Phoenix priest invalid because he changed one word
NBCSep 09, 2021
Thousands of Baptisms Invalidated Over Wording Error
Image copyright: 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.
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.