Arizona Catholic Pastor Resigns After Learning He Has Been Doing the Sacrament Wrong for Several Decades
After discovering an error in his formula for conferring baptisms, a Phoenix Catholic priest resigned. A one-word mistake meant that thousands of people, who thought they’d been properly baptized were actually not. This made it question whether they received all the other sacraments as well, even those of clerics.
In mid-January, Bishop Thomas Olmsted from Phoenix broke the sad news. According to Catholic News Networks, Olmsted of Phoenix wrote: “baptisms performed by Reverend Andres Arango, a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix, are invalid.”
He referred to a Vatican doctrinal letter dated August 2020 that stated the following formula “We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”Could not be used to baptize. You should use “Baptism” instead. “I”Instead of “We,”Contrary to what Andres the father did.
“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,”The bishop elaborated.
The letter stressed that Olmsted didn’t suspect the priest of any malice. Arango “has not disqualified himself”He has not been dismissed from his ministry but is in good standing with church authorities, said the diocesan.
However, the cleric decided that he would resign, beginning February 1. In a letter, he expressed his deep regret for the error and all that was caused by it and promised to make amends. “dedicate my energy and full-time ministry to help remedy this and heal those affected.”The entire diocese pledged their full support to the effort.
Some members of the community don’t want Andres to leave. Pastor Andres is responsible for the church. “reinvigorated the church community by renovating its facilities, giving parishioners and faith seekers a spiritual home that is open to all,”An online petition was created asking for the priest to continue as the spiritual leader in the parish.
Arango served as a priest in Brazil’s Diocese of Sao Salvador da Bahia in the 1990s before he moved to the USA. After spending several years living in California, he became a priest at St. Jerome Parish in Phoenix. As a parochial vicar, he served at St. Anne Parish in Gilbert, Arizona. He then went on to St. Gregory Parish. Later, he was a pastor.
According to the website’s FAQ section, the diocesan asked anyone who suspects or knows that their child or children have been baptized in Arango to get in touch with them. The explainer stated that a person not legally baptized should be denied Holy Communion. The error also makes invalid any subsequent sacraments, such as confirmation or holy orders. This would make it difficult for any priest who has been baptized in an unsuitable formula. It’s not exactly clear how the error affects matrimony.
The diocesan said the only concern was over one pronoun “may seem legalistic,” but the use of a proper form – words, actions and materials – was as crucial as the spiritual aspect of a sacrament. “Baptism is a requirement for salvation,”It stressed. But, it was more. “while God instituted the sacraments for us, He is not bound by them.”
“We can be assured that all who approached God, our Father, in good faith to receive the sacraments did not walk away empty-handed,”According to the diocesan.
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