6-week-old baby dies after priest fully immerses newborn in holy water three times in orthodox baptism ceremony
A ritual claimed the life of a newborn child in Romania after the baby was fully immersed in water three times. The six-week-old toddler suffered cardiac arrest following a ceremony, which involves immersing infants thrice in holy water. An autopsy later revealed that liquid was filled in the child's lungs.
Because of the tragedy that happened in the northeastern city of Suceava, the Orthodox Church is facing growing pressure to change baptism rituals, according to a report by The Daily Mail. Besides this, a manslaughter investigation has been launched against the priest who allegedly performed the ritual.
According to reports, by Thursday, February 4, evening, an online petition to make changes in the ritual has received more than 56,000 signatures. The petition stated, “The death of a newborn baby because of this practice is a huge tragedy. This risk must be ruled out for the joy of baptism to triumph.”
The Mail reported that people also took to the internet to condemn the ceremony that risks the lives of the little ones as one person branded it as “brutality” while another called it the “stubbornness of those who think that it is the will of God” to perform it.
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Church spokesman Vasile Banescu has suggested another method to perform the ritual. Banescu said that instead of completely submerging the tots, priests can pour or sprinkle a little water on their forehead. However, Archbishop Teodosie, leader of the church's traditionalist wing, did not seem to like the alternative and insisted that no amendments can be made.
According to the Romanian Orthodox Church, under the baptism ritual in question, newborns are fully immersed in water thrice as the priest holds their nose so that they cannot breathe. Mostly, the ritual is held at a grand level with hundreds of guests and a big party. Recent opinion polls show that over 80 percent of Romanians are Orthodox and the denomination is one of the most trusted institutions.
Another tragic incident involving a baby happened in 2020 when a babysitter, entrusted with taking care of a six-month-old baby, killed the baby in a "devil-worshipping ritual." The woman, identified as Viktoria Aimetdinova, was then sentenced to forced psychiatric treatment in Russia. The 23-year-old said she strangled, stabbed and then burned the child, named Bogdan Gafner, in a forest to "save the world from the apocalypse."
It was also reported at that time that Aimetdinova had glued a beard to her face to prevent the "devil from being attracted by her beauty before she finished the black magic ceremony.”
The death of the baby left his father devastated, who in court said: "She glued that hair on her chin and covered one of her eyes, like a pirate. After our son's massacre, the police investigator asked her why she did it. Viktoria said she heard some voices, and that she was afraid the devil would be attracted by her beauty, not letting her finish the ceremony."
The parents were also not happy with the sentencing and wanted Aimetdinova to get a life imprisonment sentence. “She did not ask forgiveness. I did not see any repentance on her face. She only said she was upset that she failed to complete the ceremony," the mother of the baby said.