Priest slaps baby in Christening

[NotTakenUsername]

I seen this video today. Has been shared quite a lot by people on social media. Not sure I should share the link, it is very upsetting. But wondering if anyone else seen it?

It made me so, so angry/unsettled/sad? I’m really struggling to let it go.

The way the parents didn’t snatch the baby right back right away - the arrogance of this excuse of a man... fair play to the dad in the end. Surely it isn’t right for a man like that to hold power to the level he appears to?

They obviously respect their institution/religion - but I can’t imagine the scenario where I wouldn’t have grabbed my child right back and slapped him in return.

Ah I see the vicar wasn’t arrested and charged but yet again violence has been minimised despite being caught on camera. Some things never change. If he’d been caught on cctv nicking a kitkat from Tesco’s he’d have had more chance of being put in a cell.

That mother should be ashamed for not reacting to protect her son.

Just because this guy is a priest she allows her son to be abused in her presence? Makes me so angry.

This was in France. It was a "claque" which is a very common method of disciplining children. VERY. Actually it was two claques. Usually used on older kids and now starting to become less common. It's not illegal, the same as smacking your kids in England isn't (I know it's not the same, but as a cultural comparison).

About 6 years ago there was an ad with a busy mother giving her son a claque. She carried on being busy. Then the claque was filmed form the child's perspective. The idea was to get parents to see that it wasn't nice for the kid. Six years ago. That was the first time I'd seen an anti-claque initiative. Could have been more but it was the first I'd seen.

So that's the cultural context.

Obviously not a justification though!

"Suffer the little children", in this case literally. fucking religion is sick.

Evil old bastard!