ReligionCatholic Priest Resigns For Using ‘We’ Instead of ‘I’ During Baptism Ceremonies

A Catholic priest has voluntarily resigned from a church in Arizona after the Vatican ruled that he botched thousands of baptisms by using incorrect phrasing for 25 years.

Father Andres Arango, who was ordained in 1995, recently discovered that he incorrectly baptized thousands of people by using the wrong word.

The priest was accustomed to using “we baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” instead of “I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” as required by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

One changed word may not seem like much. However, the Vatican ruled that using the wrong phrasing invalidated all the baptisms Father Andres had performed since being ordained in 1995 through June 2021. And as a result, this invalidates subsequent sacraments like confirmation, marriage and holy orders.

The church said the number of invalid baptisms runs into thousands but did not reveal exactly how many Father Andres performed.

The revelation led to Father Andres’ resignation from the St. Gregory Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona.

In a letter announcing his resignation to his congregation, Father Andres apologized to those his mistake has affected and asked the community for ‘prayers, forgiveness, and understanding.’

While Fr Andres has resigned from his position, the Diocese of Phoenix said he was not disqualified from vocation and ministry and remained “a priest in good standing”.

He’ll now work full-time offering spiritual guidance to Catholics whose baptisms were ruled invalid so that he can baptize them again.