SEE IT: Priest caught on tape violently grabbing & slapping baby during baptism

[Warning: Video may be disturbing to some viewers]

A video making the rounds apparently shows a priest grabbing and slapping a baby during a baptism.

According to People, a Reddit user who originally uploaded the footage said the priest was French. In the video, the priest can be seen making a shape of the cross over the baby’s body before he begins to cry.

Newsweek reported that the priest says, in French, that the child is having a “tantrum” and that water must be poured on his head so he could become a “little Christian.” The visibly upset clergyman is heard saying  “calm down, calm down, you must calm down” before he slaps the child in front of a man and woman who appear to be his parents.

“There, you have to calm yourself, you have to calm yourself, there, there,” the priest says, according to KFOR.

Amid gasps from the congregation, the priest is then seen pulling the child closer and putting his hand over his mouth in a possible effort to stifle his cries. At one point, an onlooker says  “he’s afraid,” referring to the child, the magazine reported.

The man and woman are recorded attempting to pull the baby away from the priest. The man successfully gains possession of the child moments before the 43-second video ends.

Newsweek reported that it’s unknown when the incident occurred or the identities of the people in the video.

[Featured Image: Youtube Video Screengrab]