Father Jacques Lacroix spoke of being ashamed when he was filmed slapping a baby boy during his baptism ceremony.[/tweetit] The 89-year-old trended online after he smacked a two-year-old in a French church. The priest was forced into retirement by church authorities soon after this incident. The video taken at Champeaux's Collegiate Church clearly showed the irritated priest shouting at the baby and then to calm down the two-year-old, squeeze the face of the baby in his hands. Since this action yielded no result, Father Lacroix was seen slapping the boy on the cheek with this left hand.
Angry Priest Fired For Smacking Baby During Baptism[/tweetthis]
The church is located in the Paris suburbs. Father Lacroix said he was finishing his ministry after the church gave him the marching orders. The disgraced priest added that everything has an end and this event was his last.
The video uploaded to social media showed the action to be a well thought out act from the priest's part. He was seen at first to stare at the baby and look into the boy's eyes. Seeing the baby had not ceased crying, Lacroix then gives him a hard slap on his cheek.
The action horrified baby’s parents. The event also drew gasps from other family members. The parents, with the help of others present, took away the two-year-old from the priest's grip. Responding to the media, Father Lacroix denied that the assault had severity. He described the assault as “…somewhere between a caress and a slap.” He said that he hoped the baby would calm down through such actions but apparently did not affect much.
The priest elaborated further to explain his actions. He said the baby screamed a lot and he was forced to turn the boy's head to pour water. He then said that he asked the baby to calm down, but the two-year-old screamed some more. Father Lacroix later apologized for his clumsiness to the baby's family. He concluded his statement by saying he had finished his ministry and the baby's baptism was his last.
https://t.co/DftBAs0n8I @donnydooley Did this happen to you?
— Arb (@Arb___) June 24, 2018