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In the summer of 2018, many were taken aback by a disturbing viral video which appeared to show a French-speaking Catholic priest slapping a crying baby while officiating at its baptism. The video formed the basis of news reports throughout the world. On 21 June, the Daily Mail reported: In the video, a priest can be seen holding a crying baby next to a baptismal font, and attempting to calm and comfort him or her. However, he becomes increasingly frustrated by the child's screams, and at one point slaps the child in the face, shouting Du calme! (Relax!) The adults surrounding the baby are visibly shocked by this, and make efforts to take the child back from the priest's arms. The priest holds the baby even closer to him, at one point appearing to cover the child's face with his hand, saying Tu vas te calmer (You're going to relax.) The video ends with a man, possibly the baby's father or godfather, pulling the child away from the priest — but even then, the priest struggles to hold on to the baby: According to Libération, the diocesan spokesperson described the priest's actions as understandable, but not excusable, and said: A baptism can be long, and the baby was crying a lot. In a statement published on 22 June, the diocese of Meaux, located 30 miles east of Paris, confirmed the priest's suspension (translation): The diocese has also suspended the priest from his duties at the parish church of Saint-Martin de Champeaux, where he is the rector, the statement added. According to Émilie Geffray, a reporter for the French newspaper Le Figaro, the family of the child has filed a complaint against the priest, but it's not clear whether that relates to the diocese or if formal criminal charges have been filed.
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