The death of a six-week-old baby hours after a baptism ceremony in Romania has prompted an Orthodox archbishop to say such rituals will be analysed to avoid further tragedy.
The baby had a cardiac arrest after he was immersed three times in holy water. He had a violent death and liquid was found in his lungs, an autopsy found.
Some 60,000 people have signed a petition calling for change.
Archbishop Calinic is the most senior member of the clergy to back reform.
He told Romanian website Adevarul that he believed in the future the practice of immersing a baby would be reviewed and “the most appropriate decision taken to respect [Church] ordinances and carefully avoid unwanted accidents”.
A manslaughter inquiry has been opened by prosecutors into the priest who carried out the baptism in the north-eastern city of Suceava.