Catholic priests used a wrong word for thousands of baptisms, now they are invalid

An investigation by the Catholic church found that thousands of baptisms conducted in the last 20 years are invalid after a priest used a wrong word during the ritual, according to Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix.

During the ritual, Father Andres Arango would say: "We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." However, he should have been saying “I baptize” instead, explained Olmsted.

"The issue with using 'We' is that it is not the community that baptizes a person, rather, it is Christ, and Him alone, who presides at all of the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptizes," Olmsted said.

Because of Arango’s mistake, thousands of people will have to be baptized again. Furthermore, because baptism is the first Catholic sacrament, the people affected will also have to repeat the sacraments that follow.

Father Arango, the pastor of the St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix, resigned on February 1 after the investigation.

"It saddens me to learn that I have performed invalid baptisms throughout my ministry as a priest by regularly using an incorrect formula. I deeply regret my error and how this has affected numerous people in your parish and elsewhere," Arango said.

The diocese set up a website for anyone who believes they have been affected.

"I too am sincerely sorry that this error has resulted in disruption to the sacramental lives of a number of the faithful. This is why I pledge to take every step necessary to remedy the situation for everyone impacted," Olmsted said.