Pope Francis baptizes 21 babies in an annual ceremony at the Sistine Chapel

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VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis baptised 21 babies in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday under the ceiling frescoed by Michelangelo, in what has become an annual tradition that marks the end of the Christmas holiday period at the Vatican.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/01/2025 (635 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis baptised 21 babies in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday under the ceiling frescoed by Michelangelo, in what has become an annual tradition that marks the end of the Christmas holiday period at the Vatican.

Francis celebrated the Lord’s gift of faith to the children, stressing they were the protagonists of the ceremony.

“It is important that these children feel well,” the pope said. “If they are hungry, feed them so they don’t cry. If they feel hot, change them. … But let them feel at ease, because today they are in charge and we must serve them with the Sacrament, with prayers.”

Pope Francis meets with pilgrims and faithful participating into the 2025 jubilee in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis meets with pilgrims and faithful participating into the 2025 jubilee in the Paul VI hall at the Vatican, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

The pontiff personally administered the sacrament of baptism on the infants, who are the children of Vatican employees working at the Holy See.

The celebration marks the feast day that recalls Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and was established in 1981 by St. John Paul II.

During the ceremony, each father was given a candle to light representing the Christian light that “must never go out.” The Pope encouraged each family to bring those candles home and light them up in difficult times to ask for the Lord’s guidance.

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I was informed that it was a Hydro corridor and that the work would clear-cut every tree between Elizabeth Road and Cottonwood Road. Perhaps the plan is to continue on through Southdale and Island Lakes. At a time of diminishing tree canopies around Winnipeg and the drive to plant a million trees, this decision is outrageous and lacks respect for our current climate situation and neighbourhood esthetics.

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