For 26 years, a priest used the wrong words in the sacrament of baptism, and now thousands of Americans risk having to be rebaptized.
It happened in Phoenix, Arizona, where for over two decades Father Andres Arango used the formula "we baptize you" instead of "I baptize you", invalidating the rite.
The mistake was discovered in mid-2021: Father Arango had been wrong since his first administered baptisms.
The priest has now left his regular post and, the Church specifies, "he is dedicating himself full time to helping those affected by his error".
The indication of the incorrect use of "we" instead of "I" in the formula of baptism had come from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in August 2020, contesting liturgical abuses carried out by many priests.
"When the minister says 'I baptize you ...' he does not speak as an official who carries out a role entrusted to him, but works ministerially as a sign-presence of Christ". Therefore, translating that I with "we", to give the rite a sense of community, effectively renders the sacrament invalid.
(Unioneonline / vl)