A PRIEST has come under fire after appearing to baptise a tiny tot a little bit too vigorously.
In the footage that has appeared online the man of the cloth repeatedly dunks the naked baby into the baptismal font.
The tot is rapidly dunked three times into the water before being handed back to his unperturbed parents.
According to reports the footage was taken in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, at a Greek Orthodox church.
With the church, baptisms are usually done ‘forcefully’ which is seen as a solution to the declining birth rate.
Many online commentators have criticised the bishop’s rather rough approach.
One Twitter user posted: "Omg that’s the most violent baptism?! I’ve ever seen?!"
Another commented: “Baptism?? More like attempted murder.”
A third wrote: “But this sort of baptism. Aaaah. It’s actually “Roughism”.
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Although others also pointed out that the vigorous actions by a priest in the Greek Orthodox church was not that unusual.
One wrote: “I went to a Greek baptism last year an this is genuinely what it’s like, thought the guy was gona drown the baby haha.” [sic]
Another posted: “That was a Greek baptism and very custom. It also wasn’t just water, but olive oil in that said water.”
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