Romania's Orthodox Church said it will continue immersing infants in water during baptism ceremonies, rejecting calls across the country to change the ritual after a six-week-old baby died after being baptized earlier this month, the Reuters website reports today (February 26, 2021).
The baby died of cardiac arrest in the northern Romanian city of Suceava after the traditional ritual, which involves immersing children in holy water three times.
The case has divided Church officials and believers, with tens of thousands of Romanians petitioning the Church to sprinkle water on the babies' heads instead. Most of Romania's 20 million people are Greek Orthodox Christians and the Church has much influence.
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