Pope to moms: ‘Go ahead and breastfeed without fear'
We always knew that Pope Francis was for the people.
The Pope has previously voiced his support of mothers’ breastfeeding while in public, and during a recent ceremony held at the Sistine Chapel, he reportedly encouraged female attendees to breastfeed their kids while in church.
“The concert has begun,” he reportedly joked when the baby cries got louder.
As first reported by Agence France Press, the Pope gave the breastfeeding encouragement after hearing a few babies cry during the annual ceremony commemorating the baptism of Jesus.
“The ceremony is a little long, someone’s crying because he’s hungry. That’s the way it is,” the Pope told the crowd, noting how babies may cry if they are in a new place or were perhaps woken up early for the Sunday morning ceremony.
“You mothers, go ahead and breastfeed, without fear. Just like the Virgin Mary nursed Jesus.”
For the ceremony, the pope baptized 28 children — 15 boys and 13 girls. According to Vatican City AP, at least one woman took his advice and began breastfeeding.
The Pontiff’s encouragement is particularly noteworthy since many women across the globe are still shamed for breastfeeding in public. In a previous interview with La Stampa, the Pope recalled a time when he encountered a young mother who appeared too shy to nurse in public “while the Pope was passing.” He suggested that women shouldn’t feel ashamed for breastfeeding, especially when the child is hungry. He compared breastfeeding a hungry child to people feeding the hungry.
“I would like to repeat to humanity what I said to that mother: give food to those who are hungry,” he said in the interview.
In 2015, the Pope gave a similar encouragement to nursing mothers during a service at the Sistine Chapel.
“You mothers give your children milk and even now, if they cry because they are hungry, breastfeed them, don’t worry.”
One mother took his advice and began breastfeeding her child before the homily.
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