Arizona Catholic priest resigns over wrongly-used word during baptism; what you should know about the mix-up

PHOENIX - In a unique situation for people of the Roman Catholic faith, a priest is resigning after the church's Phoenix Diocese determined the words he was using during baptisms are wrong, meaning those baptisms are now rendered invalid.Here's what you should know about the mix-up.In a statement released by officials with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, it was announced that all baptisms performed by a priest named Andres Arango until June 17, 2021 are presumed to be invalid due to the words that were used.At the center of the mix-up are the words "we" and "I." Diocesan officials say Arango should have used the following words during baptism:I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.Instead, diocesan officials say Arango used the following words:We baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.Diocesan officials said baptisms performed by Arango after June 17, 2021 are presumed to be valid.In a letter to faithfuls, Phoenix Catholic Bishop Thomas Olmsted said the determination that baptisms performed by Arango are invalid was made "after careful study by diocesan officials and through consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome."Diocesan officials say the word change made a big difference for them."It is not the community that baptizes a person and incorporates them into the Church of Christ; rather, it is Christ, and Christ alone, who presides at all sacraments; therefore, it is Christ who baptizes," diocesan officials said, on their website. "The Baptismal Formula (the words used in the Rite) has always been guarded for this reason: so it is clear that we receive our baptism through Jesus and not the community.""In the.