At Sistine Chapel, Pope Francis Reaffirms Support of Breastfeeding in Public

Pope Francis on Sunday encouraged the women in attendance at the Sistine Chapel to breastfeed their children "without fear," reports Yahoo!News.

"The ceremony is a little long, someone's crying because he's hungry. That's the way it is," the pontiff said."You mothers, go ahead and breastfeed, without fear. Just like the Virgin Mary nursed Jesus," he said to a group of parishioners present at the annual ceremony commemorating the day Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River.

Pope Francis baptized 33 infants on Sunday. He has previously voiced support for women who breastfeed in public and, in 2013 told a young mother to feed her crying infant.

"I said to her: 'Madam, I think the child’s hungry. ... Please give it something to eat!' " the Pope said then.

"She was shy and didn’t want to breastfeed in public, while the Pope was passing. I wish to say the same to humanity: Give people something to eat! That woman had milk to give to her child; we have enough food in the world to feed everyone."

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