Disturbing footage emerged on Wednesday, June 20, of French-speaking Catholic priest slapping a baby boy across the face during the little one’s baptism.
In the shocking clip that was originally shared on Reddit, a woman is seen holding a crying infant. At first the elderly clergyman calls the situation a “tantrum.” He then attempts to console the child by grabbing the boy’s face and urging him to “calm down, calm down.” When the inconsolable baby continues to wail, the visibly agitated priest strikes him with enough force to make an sound.
A couple presumed to be the parents is heard gasping at this in the video. The priest attempts to yank baby closer before a bearded man pulls the child away.
It is still unclear where the video was filmed. As of Thursday, none of the individuals in the clip have been identified.
Twitter users have been taking to the social media platform in droves to weigh in on the horrifying moment, with many tweeting that they would have knocked the priest out.
“I don’t care if you’re a man of the church I’m knocking you if you slap my son,” wrote one person. Added another: “A priest slaps my baby and I’m putting him on the cross.”
Some people on Twitter shamed the presumed parents for not intervening faster. “You just stand there and let a priest slap your baby? Couldn’t be me, I would have tore that whole place up,” noted one woman. Echoed another: “How the mother stood there and allowed that is beyond me.”
