Priest Who Slapped Baby During Baptism Named And Forced To Retire

A priest who slapped a child for crying during his baptism has broken his silence announcing he has been forced into retirement.

89-year-old Father Jacques Lacroix hit a two-year-old boy during his baptism ceremony at the Collegiate Church in Champeaux, France last Sunday (June 17).

Footage of the incident shows Father Jacques shouting ‘calm down’ at the tearful boy before slapping him hard on the cheek with his left hand.

After the aggressive act, the horrified parents can be seen trying to prise their child out of the Catholic priest’s grip with other family members rushing to help.

However, speaking to France Info radio yesterday (June 22), Father Jacques denies he was too severe.

He said:

It was somewhere between a caress and a slap, I hoped to calm him down, I didn’t know what to do.

The child was screaming a lot and I had to turn his head to pour water over it.

I told him to ‘calm down, calm down’ but he was not calming down. I tried to hold him close. I just wanted him to calm down.

I apologised for my clumsiness to the family. I am finishing my ministry now, it was my last baptism, there is an end to everything.