Catholic priest slaps crying baby during baptism

A video of a Catholic priest slapping a crying baby in the face during a baptism has surfaced online.

In footage posted on Reddit earlier this week, the elderly priest can be seen speaking to the infant, who is being held in the arms of a woman, believed to be the mother.

As the little boy cries loudly, the man holds his face and seemingly tries to comfort and calm him down.

He then slaps the child on the cheek, loudly enough that the impact can be heard in the video, recorded from a couple of metres away.

An onlooker can be heard gasping, as the priest then raises his voice at the boy and places his hand over his mouth in an attempt to muffle the cries.

The man and woman standing with the baby - believed to be his parents - are visibly shocked, eventually wrestling the child away from the priest's hands.

According to the Redditor who shared the video, the incident happened in France, though not exact location has been reported.

The footage has since been shared on social media, where it has been met with shock from viewers.