Casting a spell in the rite of baptism to ensure God knows you have the one true faith.
But the spell must be precise or it won't work!
But the spell must be precise or it won't work!
The thing about protective magic spells is that they must be said exactly, without the slightest deviation or alteration, or they don't work, and when they are directed at an omniscient god, he/she doesn't understand them if even one word is wrong, so they don't work!
At least, this appears to be the official position of the Catholic Church, because Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, of Phoenix, Arizona, USA has informed thousands of people who assumed they had the protective spell of baptism cast on them by a parish priest, have no such protection because the said priest got one word of the spell wrong when performing the ritual, which also includes magic hand movements and magic water. In a letter to his distraught flock, Bishop Olmstead said:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,Weirdly, Bishop Olmsted seems to think more magic spells in the form of payers are going to be needed to make God realise that by 'We', Rev. Arango meant 'I'. He already understands, apparently that when a Catholic Priest say 'I' in that context he means 'Jesus', i.e., 'God'. An omniscient God needs to be told precisely that he has personally baptised someone or he doesn't know he's done it, apparently!
Peace be with you!
I write to you today for the purpose of sharing some information that is as difficult to hear as it is challenging for me to announce. As the chief shepherd of the Diocese of Phoenix and as your spiritual father, I am charged with the responsibility of being vigilant over the celebration of the sacraments. It is my duty to ensure that the sacraments are conferred in a manner that is in keeping with the commands of Jesus Christ in the Gospel and the requirements of sacred tradition.
It is with sincere pastoral concern that I inform the faithful that baptisms performed by Reverend Andres Arango, a priest of the Diocese of Phoenix, are invalid. This determination was made after careful study by diocesan officials and through consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.
Specifically, it was reported to me that Fr. Andres used the formula, “WE baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The key phrase in question is the use of “We baptize” in place of “I baptize.” The issue with using “We” is that it is not the community that baptizes a person, rather, it is Christ, and Christ alone, who presides at all of the sacraments, and so it is Christ Jesus who baptizes.
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith recently issued a doctrinal note alerting the Church throughout the world that baptisms were not valid in which the formula was changed to say “We baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” In making this clarification, the Congregation referred to the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which reminded us that no one “even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.”
I do not believe Fr. Andres had any intentions to harm the faithful or deprive them of the grace of baptism and the sacraments. On behalf of our local Church, 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. This commitment is, in part, why I write to you today, with the hope that you may assist me and diocesan officials in identifying those in need of the sacraments. If you believe your own reception of baptism may be connected to Fr. Andres Arango’s ministry, please call your parish for more information about how to proceed. I also encourage you to visit, dphx.org/valid-baptism for more information.
I ask that you join me in praying for Fr. Andres and for all of those who are going to be impacted by this unfortunate situation. I pledge to work diligently and swiftly to bring peace to those who have been affected, and I assure you that I and our diocesan staff are wholeheartedly committed to assisting those who have questions about their reception of the sacraments. I invite you to join me in prayer as we move forward together as a local church in reaching out to those who may need this particular pastoral assistance. May God continue to fill us with His grace, mercy and love.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
+Thomas J. Olmsted
Bishop of Phoenix
The unfortunate priest has now resigned, meanwhile, pending the efficacy of the prayers, and the correct spell being cast over the unfortune victims of his error, thousands of Arizonans are in immediate danger of being cast straight into hellfire, should they die before corrective action can be taken to ensure their continued protection.
In his resignation letter to his former parishioners, a distressed Fr. Arango said:
Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,What an absurd and contradictory religion! Members need to be protected from a supposedly all-loving god with a precise magic spell, cast by someone who has been specially anointed, so an omniscient god will know that they have the one true faith and so will not cast them into hellfire along with everyone else who has the wrong faith or who hasn't had the right protective spell. But, when a mistake is made in the spell condemning thousands of people to hellfire, if enough people cast different magic spells in the form of prayers to the god, it can be persuaded to regard them as having had the right spell cast over them, pending the right spell being cast over them.
It is with a heavy heart that I find myself writing this letter of notification to a wonderful parish family that I once served.
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. With the help of the Holy Spirit and in communion with the Diocese of Phoenix I will dedicate my energy and full time ministry to help remedy this and heal those affected. In order to do this, I have resigned from my position as pastor of St. Gregory parish in Phoenix effective February 1, 2022.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank God for having given me the opportunity to serve your community so many years ago. You have all enriched my life beyond measure. It has been a blessing and an honor to have served and worked alongside people that I consider my dear friends and family.
On the Diocese of Phoenix website, there is a letter from Bishop Olmsted about this and a link to a form where you can provide your name and contact information if you believe you were baptized by me, so that the Diocese can begin the process of baptizing all who are affected.
I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience my actions have caused and genuinely ask for your prayers, forgiveness, and understanding.
Respectfully in Christ,
Fr. Andres Arango
The main function of baptism is, of course, to enrol the (mostly) children into the cult without their consent or even their active participation, in order to impose a particular label on them as much as a cultural identifier as an expression of beliefs. Why on earth the wording of the induction ritual needs to be so precise to fill that sinister purpose is beyond me. Probably it has more to do with maintaining the mystery of the 'faith' and the control exercised by the priesthood, than the logic of the process. I doubt those who were baptised with the wrong spell feel any less Catholic than they did prior to the revelation, if indeed they remained members of the cult.
No wonder sane people are leaving these idiotic religions in droves as they become better educated and see through the absurdity of the rituals and ceremonies.
Hat-tip to Infidel753
There is Baptism of Desire which would sub for a flubbed water baptism.
ReplyDeleteProblem solved
It's "rite," not "right."
ReplyDeleteThanks. Typo corrected.
Delete