A priest in Cyprus has been accused of injuring a baby during the baptism rite at a church near Limassol on Saturday.
Video footage shows the priest forcefully immersing the crying baby into the baptismal font. At some point the toddler’s legs hit the edge of the font.
The parents filed a complaint on the incident to the Metropolis. “The priest hit my baby, we all shouted at him to be careful, but he replied I am responsible for the baptism,” Ntina Shitta, the mother’s baby said in a Facebook post.
“The baby became red and was in shock! This priest ruined our most beautiful day,” she added.
Σήμερα βάφτισα το μωρό μου!!Δεστε αυτός ο "πάτερ" πως χτυπά το μωρό,να του φωνάζουμε όλοι,να του λέμε σιγά το μωρό και να μας απαντά έτσι βαφτίζω εγώ!! Το μωρό εννοείται ότι μετα ήταν ολοκόκκινο σε όλο του το σώμα και σε σοκ!!
Αυτός ο άνθρωπος είναι ο πάτερ της παλόδιας και μας χάλασε την πιο όμορφη μέρα!! Όσο για τον τρόπο του ήταν γενικα απαίσιος!!
Posted by Ntina Shitta on Sunday, October 18, 2020
Αυτός ο άνθρωπος είναι ο πάτερ της παλόδιας και μας χάλασε την πιο όμορφη μέρα!! Όσο για τον τρόπο του ήταν γενικα απαίσιος!!The priest offered his apologies to the family, but denied any intentional wrongdoing in a television interview on Sunday.
“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. 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,” he added.