An Arizona Catholic priest has resigned from his church after using incorrect language to baptise babies.
It’s all over just one, very short word.
Instead of saying “I baptise you”, Father Andres Arango has been saying “We baptise you”, rendering all his baptisms invalid.
The Catholic News Agency reports that spans two decades of baptisms in Brazil, San Diego and Phoenix.
The Phoenix Bishop explained that “The issue with using ‘We’ is that it is not the community that baptises a person, rather, it is Christ, and Him alone.”
The church says incorrect baptisms would invalidate the sacrament of confirmation and holy orders.
There’s an ongoing debate over the impact of invalid baptisms on taking Holy Communion and the status of marriages.
Father Arango has apologised and asked for forgiveness for his mistake.
He will remain a priest and in good standing with the church.
