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Mothers should feel comfortable breast-feeding infants in public, Pope Francis said on Sunday, even if they are in one of the most sacred spaces in Catholicism.


Speaking at an annual ceremony to commemorate the baptism of Jesus, the pope addressed the families of 28 infants who were to be baptized in the Sistine Chapel. Some of the babies began to wail as the ceremony wore on, according to 

This is not the first time the leader of the Catholic Church has expressed support for women who are breast-feeding.

"You mothers give your children milk and even now, if they cry because they are hungry, breast-feed them, don't worry," the pope said.


Although the pope has repeatedly justified his position in the most traditional terms possible — harking back to the infancy of Christ himself, the stance on breast-feeding does challenge norms in some churches. In 2014, the 

 published an article describing a mother who said she was told 

breast-feeding during church was "inappropriate."

," writer Rachel Marie Stone recalled, "On a family trip to St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, as I started to breast-feed my son in the sanctuary, I was whisked away by a security guard to the bathroom.
"Countless other Christian women, trying to feed their children without having to miss a sermon, have faced the disapproval of others who think breasts have no place in the sanctuary," she continued.  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Health

Religion and Faith

Rebecca Hersher

Author

The leader of the Roman Catholic Church encouraged mothers to breast-feed their infants during a baptism ceremony for 28 babies on Sunday in the Sistine Chapel.

Pope Francis reiterates support for public breast-feeding

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