The Pope has urged mothers to breastfeed their children in the Sistine Chapel if they are hungry.
In a homily at Mass on the Solemnity of the Baptism of Our Lord in Vatican City, during which he is thought to have baptised 27 newborn babies, Pope Francis urged mothers to breastfeed their newborns and make them comfortable.
The 82-year-old also said parents should never argue in front of their children.
He said: “If they cry for hunger, breastfeed them.
“To the mothers, I say: breastfeed the children.
“The Lord wants this.”
Pope Francis also described the “anguish” a child goes through when they see their parents quarrel and that although it is “normal” for spouses to fight, children must not see or hear it.
He said: “But the important thing is to transmit the faith with your life of faith.
“They see the love of the spouses, who see the peace of the house, who see that Jesus is there.
“And I would like to give advice – sorry, but I recommend this – never fight in front of children, never.
“It is normal for spouses to quarrel, it is normal.
“The opposite would be strange.
“Do it, but that they do not hear, that they do not see.
“You do not know the anguish a child receives when he sees his parents quarrelling.
“This, I dare, is a piece of advice that will help you pass on the faith.”
By Grainne Cuffe and Ruth Gledhill
