Seeing a woman breastfeed in public may be uncomfortable for some people. But Pope Francis? He’s totally cool with it.
During a ceremony at the Sistine Chapel on Sunday, the pontiff spoke to the families of nearly 30 babies who were about to get baptized. The Washington Post reports he noticed that some of the infants were getting fussy, so he encouraged the mothers to begin nursing if it was necessary.
“The ceremony is a little long, someone’s crying because he’s hungry. That’s the way it is,” the Pope said during the celebration of Jesus’ baptism. “You mothers, go ahead and breastfeed, without fear. Just like the Virgin Mary nursed Jesus.”
This isn’t the first time Pope Francis has supported public breastfeeding. During the same ceremony in 2015, he told the mothers in the audience: “give your children milk and even now, if they cry because they are hungry, breast-feed them, don’t worry.”
During a 2013 interview with La Stampa, Pope Francis spoke about a time he came across a young mother who seemed too shy to breastfeed in public, and how he reassured her there was nothing wrong with it.
There was a young mother behind one of the barriers with a baby that was just a few months old. The child was crying its eyes out as I came past. The mother was caressing it. I said to her: Madam, I think the child’s hungry. “Yes, it’s probably time…” she replied. “Please give it something to eat!” I said. She was shy and didn’t want to breast-feed in public, while the Pope was passing. I wish to say the same to humanity: Give people something to eat!
He may be the chilliest Pope ever.
