Faith is bigger than grammar

Thursday, February 17

Connie Schultz is an Opinion columnist for USA TODAY.

The Catholic Church baptism crisis is manufactured

He said "we" instead of "I", so the thousands of baptisms he performed are void.

Today's newsletter is highlighting recent work by Columnist Connie Schultz. If you haven't read her pieces yet, now is the time to start.

The Catholic Church baptism crisis is manufactured. Faith is bigger than grammar.

By Connie Schultz

From the beginning of his priesthood in 1995, the Rev. Andres Arango performed the sacred ritual of baptism.

Or so he believed.

For a quarter-century, Father Arango baptized thousands of children and adults in Catholic churches using this phrasing: "We baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

It's his use of the word "we" that is at the heart of the church's latest crisis of its own making.

The Catholic Diocese of Phoenix has declared that every one of Rev. Arango's baptisms – through June 17, 2021 – is now null and void because he used the word "we" instead of "I." Father Arango has resigned.

I say this as a person of faith: My God, the harm we inflict in service to a religion.

Other columns by Connie Schultz

•	Ohio mayor resigns after ice shanties, prostitution embarrassment
•	I have no sense of smell, but I can still inhale the world
•	Schools, teacher tip lines, masks, abortion laws: Are they harmful?
•	Racism and education: The whitewashing of American history isn't new