A viral video of a baby's baptism has Twitterverse talking as it appears to show a Greek Orthodox bishop vigorously dunking a baby in the water during the rites.
The footage was reportedly taken in a Greek Orthodox Church in Cyprus. Viewers expressed shock when the priest rapidly submerged the baby in the water three times, while adults and children look on. The naked baby was swung high in the air by its arms between each dunking.
"That's the most violent baptism?! I've ever seen?!" one Twitter user said. "Baptism?? More like attempted murder," another shared, according to The Sun.
Others were concerned that the way in which the baby had been dunked could cause brain damage to it.
A child to be baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church has to be immersed in deep water three times as it symbolizes the three days Jesus Christ spent in his tomb after the crucifixion. It also represents His baptism, death and resurrection.
After immersing the baby in the water, the priest then hands the child to the godparents while wrapped in a white cloth to symbolize purity. The baby then receives the sacrament of Chrismation, where the priest anoints the child with olive oil.
Members of the Greek Orthodox Church believe that the olive oil is a symbol of God's mercy. Noah used an olive twig when he baptized the earth after the Great Flood.
In 2017, a similar viral video with over two million views also sparked outrage over a priest's handling of several babies during the baptism rites. Viewers stated their discomfort and disbelief in the comments section and worried that the babies might have suffered physically. The Patriarch apparently baptized 780 children that day in celebration of the Epiphany.
