Priest drowns baby during baptism

[Ahmad89]

Police are investigating Father Valentin for accidential homicide after witnesses at the ceremony said the priest did not cover the baby's mouth during the ritual, The Sun newspaper reports.
Father Valentin had denied being responsible for the baby's death during the baptism in Moldova.
The six-week-old baby died on the way to hospital and an autopsy found he had drowned, the baby's dad Dumitru Gaidau told Romania's Publica TV.
Mr Gaidau, 36, said his son was clearly in distress during the ceremony.
"He couldn't inhale, his face turned blue and he was foaming at the mouth. He [the priest] said we should not interrupt this their ritual," he said.
"We couldn't believe it that he just put his hand over his belly and over the head and submerged him three times in the water."
Water was found in the baby's lungs.
The baby's godmother, Aliona Vacarciuc, said the baby had been crying as the priest submerged him in the water.
"We couldn't believe it but we thought the priest must know what he's doing, but he didn't. When we got him back there was nothing that could be done anymore," The Sun quoted her as saying.
When the baby's angry relatives confronted the priest, he told them he knew what he was doing and was experienced at baptisms, Ms Vacarciuc said.
If found guilty of accidental homicide, Father Valentin could spend three years in jail.

Wow

 

[JohnJ]

Wow

That is pretty ridiculous.

 

[Lostwords]

Thats horrible...

Link plz?

 

[revanneosl]

The Press Association: Police probe baby's 'baptism death'

 

[Billnew]

Baby baptism is sprinkles, child/adult can be dunked.

Babies can asperate, breathe water in anytime they are under water.

I believe, if this report is true, the preist is probably guilty of negligent homicide, or even manslaughter.
The baby was in distress while the preist continued the ceremony. Any time someone is ill, all ceremonies stop. You do not dunk an adult that is choking, and you don't force them to continue to go under three times.

The priest committed a crime from this report. It depends on the wording of laws to which ones he is guilty.

 

[Josiah14]

Lord have mercy. Clearly poor judgement on the priest's part that lead to dire consequences.

 

[Monica child of God 1]

This is a tragedy Lord have mercy.

We do baptize babies by immersion in the Orthodox church and nothing goes wrong like this in the millions of baptisms that have occured. For contrast, see this story MYSTAGOGY: 700 Children Baptized in Georgia

M.

 

[bliz]

Sounds to me like a baby dies because of a priest's arrogance and pride.

 

[Insubres]

People shouldn't assume what happened before a verdict is given, we have no idea what actually happened there. Innocent until proven guilty and all.

I'm a little suspicious of this since babies actually normally hold their breathe when submerged without any prior acclimatization, they teach infants to swim especially in places like Florida where there are many pools so that they don't drown if they ever somehow fall in a body of water.

 

[divine137]

People shouldn't assume what happened before a verdict is given, we have no idea what actually happened there. Innocent until proven guilty and all.

I'm a little suspicious of this since babies actually normally hold their breathe when submerged without any prior acclimatization, they teach infants to swim especially in places like Florida where there are many pools so that they don't drown if they ever somehow fall in a body of water.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing...baby could had died from something else, but still got some water in his lungs when he breathed it in...

 

[theblackcat]

Babies can hold their breath and swim at very young ages, but the report said the baby was crying, therefore apparently did not instinctively hold his breath when under water. The priest definitely should have stopped at the first sign of distress from the child. I can't believe the parents had such reverence for this person that they didn't forcefully and even violently intervene! What a sad occurrence.

 

[Insubres]

Whatever happened it's not in the spirit of the Orthodox church as I've experienced it. There's not, as people might imagine from this, any sanctioned spirit of ritual-over-reason. If something is going to hurt someone it everything I've ever read about Orthodoxy says it shouldn't be done. If you're sick, pregnant or have any reason that fasting will hurt you, for instance, then you're not supposed to fast.

There are perhaps people though that think the ritual is most important, like in any religion, they've lost sight of the spirit and the meaning.

 

[MariaRegina]

Blood came from the child's nose and mouth?

That sounds more consistent with pneumonia.

I wonder if the child had pneumonia before he was baptized and the baptism just aggravated his condition.

 

[GigageiTsula]

Poor baby.

I feel for the parents, and for the priest.

 

[Dale]

Ahmad,
Do you have a link for this? Where did it happen?


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[Yusuf Evans]

Priest will get a slap on the wrist, and the parents will be the one's who will ultimately be held responsible for this tragedy.

 

[CRAZY_CAT_WOMAN]

Very sad,I don't understand why babies get baptize,Since they have no understanding,When it come to sin or wanting to belong to a religion.

 

[Philothei]

Priest will get a slap on the wrist, and the parents will be the one's who will ultimately be held responsible for this tragedy.

How can you so sure for this? Usually they are imprisoned for manslaughter if the charges do not drop cause it was proven that it was not his fault.This is sooo rare and it was a freaky situation... I am sure he was over confident. I know that priests always "cap" the baby's nose and moth before dunking it in the watrer... A practice that has been taking place for centuries in our church. Actually this is the first time I ever heard of some baby dying during a baptism.

Lord have mercy for the parents and the priest who I am sure was indeed humbled and he is under a greater trial now as he should have never undertaken to do a baptism if he did not know how to dunk the baby in the water....but still....


We do not even know if the baby was healthy. Babies in Russian tradition are baptized very early like one month old. In the Greek traditons after the 5th month usually...

 

[Philothei]

Very sad,I don't understand why babies get baptize,Since they have no understanding,When it come to sin or wanting to belong to a religion.

I do not want to derail this thread as it is news....But babies are baptized as per the practice in the New Teastament times. The Apostles in the Acts baptized the "whole households" I imagine that includes babies, servants kids and adults. I do not think that the kids baptized by the Apostles did not have "god parents" who were guiding these kids all along to their spiritual journey to adulthood... "anadohos" is the person that undertakes to "witness" for the child who as yet cannot witness heself to Christ and :"confess": the faith. So the godparent stands in her place promising to do also the ministering to that child as she grows older. All members who entered the Church were recieved through "mentors" who made the same promise to lead the newly converts to the fold of the Church. That was the purpose of the idea of "God parent". You can pm to me for moer information as I do not want to derail this ....

 

[laconicstudent]

Priest will get a slap on the wrist, and the parents will be the one's who will ultimately be held responsible for this tragedy.

Is this an attempt at humor?