Romanian Church Under Fire as Six-week-old Baby Dies in Baptism
The Orthodox Church in Romania is facing growing pressure to change baptism rituals after a six-week-old baby died following a ceremony earlier this week.
The baby boy reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest during the Baptism on Monday and was rushed to hospital but died a few hours later, with autopsy revealing liquid in his lungs.
Prosecutors have now opened a manslaughter investigation against the priest in the north-eastern city of Suceava.
An online petition calling for changes to the ritual had gathered more than 56,000 signatures by Thursday evening.
“The death of a newborn baby because of this practice is a huge tragedy,” said a message with the petition. “This risk must be ruled out for the joy of baptism to triumph.”
Due to several similar incidents in recent ye...
