The baby is crying at the beginning of the shocking footage. As the priest tries to bless him, the child only wails louder.
"It's a tantrum. This is called a tantrum. I will spill water on the forehead, and then I'll kiss the little child, because he has to become a little Christian," the priest tells the parents, speaking in French.
Quickly, the priest becomes aggravated and tells the child, "I'll scream louder than you, so calm down."
The dad flashes a quick smirk to the person filming the baptism. Moments later, the priest strikes the boy, shocking onlookers at the congregation. The baby's screams only grow louder and two people tell the priest not to hit the baby.
The dad looks at the priest, jaws agape, and says, "He's afraid."
As the parents try to pull their kid from the priest, he only holds him closer and tighter. The dad tries for several seconds to take the child from him, and practically has to rip him from the priest's grip. Even as he's in the dad's arms, the priest keeps his hands on the baby. Then, the video ends.
Social media reacted furiously to the footage, one user tweeting, "it's clear that the little one already knew that that ‘priest' is a BAD MAN! that is why the little one is crying in terror. it is a good thing the father and mother responded to get their child away from the vampire."
Others implied that if they had been there, they'd have been unlikely to turn the proverbial other cheek. Another Twitter user said he'd have drowned the priest in his own holy water. Another simply called for the Pope to excommunicate the priest.