Church Attendance Among Males Expected to Rise as Pope tells Moms "You can Breastfeed in Church"

01.20.14

Mothers of all stripes - not just Catholic ones - may be feeling a little more confident after encouraging words from Pope Francis.

While speaking on Jan. 12 in the Sistine Chapel, Francis told mothers that it’s acceptable to breastfeed their children in public - even in church - despite the associated criticism. The Pope then baptized 32 children during a service that day.

“Some will cry because they are uncomfortable or because they are hungry,” the Pope said of the children. “If they are hungry, mothers, let them eat, no worries, because here, they are the main focus.”

During a recent public appearance by the Pope, a young mother sat behind a screen with her crying infant because she didn’t want to breastfeed in public. In a December interview with an Italian newspaper, Francis said he told the woman she should feed the child, then later compared the problem to global hunger.

“She was shy and didn’t want to breastfeed in public, while the Pope was passing,” Francis said, according to news reports. “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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