WATCH: French priest slaps baby for crying during baptism ceremony

A video showing an elderly Catholic priest slapping a baby boy who was incessantly crying during his baptism has gone viral, prompting outrage on social media. Little is know about the video’s origin, other than that it was shot in France.

“I’m trying to figure out why no one slapped the old man back,” one viewer posted.

“This is disturbing, and has really upset me,” another tweeted. “I would have gone ballistic if that was any of my kids.”

On the video, speaking in French, the priest describes the crying as a tantrum, but says: “I’m going to put water on the forehead, and after I’ll embrace the little man, because he will have become a little Christian.”

However, the boy doesn’t stop crying and the priest gets annoyed, grabs him by the face and tells him to calm down.

When the crying still continues he raises his voice, slaps the boy on the cheek and tells him: “You’re going to calm down.”

The congregation gasps and admonishes him for his treatment of the child.

The priest then tries to pacify the baby by hugging him, but the father has seen enough and wrestles him away as the video ends.

– AFP