The debate over public breastfeeding has reached new levels of prevalence in society in the recent months as more and more woman are starting to feed their children wherever they need to instead of being forced to only feed their children in the privacy of their homes.
One of the most ardent supporters of a woman’s right to feed her baby anywhere is one that many are surprised to learn about. Pope Francis is arguably one of the most progressive popes in history, but his stance of public breastfeeding shouldn’t be considered progressive.
He believes that women should be allowed to nurse anywhere, including his own church. The revelation came about during a recent ceremony honoring Jesus Christ’s baptism.
During the ceremony, children are baptized from the congregation by the Pope, and the most recent ceremony saw a total of 28 babies who were baptized.
It was announced before the start of the ceremony that mother’s with fussy babies should not feel afraid to feed them during the service. Just as the Virgin Mary nursed the baby Jesus, the Pope wanted all mothers to have the same freedom and comfort.
Pope Francis actually has a proven track record on his position. He once said in an interview that woman should not be afraid to feed their children because there are parts of the world were starving mothers are not capable of feeding their children.
As the leader of the Catholic church, Pope Francis understands that breastfeeding is not sexualized and therefore should not be considered a shameful act.
On the contrary, it should be considered one of the most beautiful and natural things in existence.
