BUCHAREST -- The death of a 6-week-old infant after he was submerged while being baptized has sparked public outrage in Romania and led to calls for the centuries-old rite to be changed. The drama of ...

Romania's Orthodox Church is under pressure to change its baptism ritual after a baby boy died following a ceremony in which he was immersed three times in water. Romania's Orthodox Church is under ...

“There is no way he could have swallowed a 100 ml of water from the gesture I saw. He died from choking on mother’s milk. His parents overfed him.” Teodosie Petrescu, archbishop of the Romanian ...

Tens of thousands of people have reportedly signed an online petition for the Orthodox Church in Romania to stop immersing babies underwater during baptisms amid a growing backlash following the death ...

The tragic death of a baby in Romania who drowned in the baptismal font has prompted thousands of people to call on the Church to change the ritual – and stop submerging new-born infants in water. A ...

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's Orthodox Church will continue immersing infants in water during baptism ceremonies, it said on Thursday, rejecting calls across the country to change the ritual after a ...

In Romania, a baby suffered cardiac arrest during a baptism ceremony and died. The tragedy has sparked a debate in the country about ancient practices and the Orthodox Church's controversial role in ...

The Orthodox Church is facing growing pressure to change baptism rituals in Romania after a baby died following a ceremony, which involves immersing infants three times in holy water. The six-week-old ...

Romania’s Orthodox Church is under pressure to change its baptism ritual after a baby boy died following a ceremony in which he was immersed three times in water. More than 59,000 people have signed a ...