The video of a French priest slapping a baby has gone viral, bringing in many horrified reactions.
With over 2 million views, a video on YouTube has made the rounds on social media since 20 June. The video is of a priest slapping a crying baby at its baptism, and its authenticity was confirmed by the Liberation newspaper. The shocking scene occurred at a baptism on 17 June in a church in Île-de-France.
The video quickly spread all the way to Martinique and Guadeloupe, where some viewers thought the video originated.
The priest, aged 89, has apologised to the child's family, who react in a shocked manner to his actions in the video. That said, there remains the possibility that he may still be sanctioned by the Church. The diocese's representative described the action as "explainable, but inexcusable" and went on to explain that the bishop and the council are working on sanctions. The representative added that the diocese's reaction would be firm.
The representative did appear to excuse the priest's actions in part, claiming that baptisms can be long and the baby was crying a lot.
