JAKARTA - A mother claims her son was abused by a priest during baptism. The toddler cried in pain when immersed in the water in the basin.
In a video that has been circulating, recorded in Limassol, Cyprus, a naked, crying baby is carried aloft by a priest while praying.
The child was then quickly immersed in the water, appeared to be slipping and one of his feet hitting the side of the metal basin as he suddenly fell.
Even though the pastor struggled to hold the baby, reaching down below, the baby slipped slightly.
She immersed the baby in the water for the second time, while a woman in green clothes appeared and seemed to be shouting something while waving her hand in annoyance.
Ntina Shitta, the angry baby mother, posted the footage on Facebook and condemned the priest in her caption.
"Today I baptized my baby! Look at this 'father' how he hurt the baby," said Ntina.
"The baby, of course, is all red and in shock!"
Obviously unhappy, the mother called the pastor 'terrible' and ruined the happiest day of their family. He has brought this case to the realm of law.
Meanwhile, pastor Panagiotis Baroutis, who gave the controversial baptism, explained his actions in a television interview and apologized to the Ntina family.
"The reality is that the baby at some point almost slipped from my hand and as you can see in the video, I put my arm under his hip to protect him," reported the Daily Star on Thursday.
"There was no intention on my part to hit or injure the baby. I have baptized many children," continued the pastor.
"When I realized that the baby was stressed, I tried to complete the ritual as quickly as possible."
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