Pope Francis Is Totally Cool With Mothers Breastfeeding In The Sistine Chapel

Pope Francis has encouraged women to feel free to breastfeed their children in the Sistine Chapel, saying: “You mothers, go ahead and breastfeed, without fear.”

Women attending a ceremony in the church were encouraged by the Pope to breastfeed at will, without fear of shame, reports the Guardian.

Worshipers were gathered at an annual ceremony commemorating the baptism of Jesus.

This isn’t the first time Pope Francis voiced his support for women breastfeeding. Last year, during a baptism, he told mothers to feel free to breastfeed their children if they cried or were hungry.

“You mothers give your children milk and even now, if they cry because they are hungry, breastfeed them, don’t worry,” he said.

Breastfeeding in public is somewhat of a controversial issue in many parts of the world, let alone the Sistine Chapel. CEO of the Australian Breastfeeding Association, Rebecca Naylor, said community tolerance to public breastfeeding is varied.

“There’s a perception in the community that breasts are private and mostly for sexual purposes,” Ms Naylor told the ABC. “We don’t really think about breasts as being a functional organ of the body, whose primary purpose is to feed a baby.”

May charity and nonviolence govern how we treat each other.

— Pope Francis (@Pontifex) January 5, 2017

Pope Francis – the first Latin American pope – has been termed one of the most liberal leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, to date.

He’s also tech-savvy. Pope Francis knows the “sticker over camera” trick.

Sticker on the front-facing camera of the iPad.
Pope Francis' opsec: 👍 pic.twitter.com/pgBab65lJP

— Collin Anderson (@CDA) January 4, 2017

Photo: iStock