A baby boy’s furious mother said her son was left ‘red and in shock’ after baptism in Cyprus.
A viral video shows the priest immersing the baby during the ceremony in Limassol, Cyprus on Saturday. His tiny legs hit the edge of the hard font numerous times as he was submerged in the water in front of his horrified mother.
The child’s mother, Ntina Shitta, filed a complaint to the church after the ceremony left the baby covered in red marks.
“The priest hit my baby, we all shouted at him to be careful but he replied: ‘I am responsible for the baptism,’” she expressed. “The baby became red and was in shock! This priest ruined our most beautiful day.”
In a TV interview, the priest apologized to the family but explained his actions.
“The truth is that the baby at some point almost slipped from my hands and as you can see in the video I placed my arm under his hip to protect it,” he explained.
“There was no intention on my part to hit or injure the baby. I have baptized many children. When I realized that the baby was in stress, I tried to complete the ritual as soon as possible,” the priest added.
One person commented: “Ouch. How about just a gentle splash on the head and don’t get me started on some religions which seem obsessed with altering young people’s sexual organs.”
Another wrote: “Poor baby.. A metal tub of cold water and I’d protest as well.”
A third added: “Why not just sprinkle water on the baby’s head? The ritual is only for the parents and other family members anyway. The baby hasn’t a clue what’s going on.”
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