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January 13th, 2014
12:00 PM ET
Breastfeeding in church? Pope says yesBy Daniel Burke, Belief Blog Co-editor (CNN) - Amid the iconic art in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday, Pope Francis told mothers that it's acceptable to breastfeed their children in public, even in holy sites like churches. Children's voices, even when crying, make "the most beautiful choir of all," Francis said during a service in which he baptized 32 children. "Some will cry because they are uncomfortable or because they are hungry," the Pope said. "If they are hungry, mothers, let them eat, no worries, because here, they are the main focus." The Sistine Chapel, with its famous frescoes by Michelangelo, is the official chapel of the Apostolic Palace, traditionally the papal residence. Francis, though, lives in the Vatican guesthouse, Casa Santa Marta, saying it better suits his low-key style. The Pope's remarks echo statements he made to an Italian newspaper in December in which he tied breastfeeding to the problem of global hunger. At a recent General Audience - or public appearance by the Pope - a young mother sat behind a screen with her crying infant, Francis told La Stampa. "I said to her: 'Madam, I think the child’s hungry. ... Please give it something to eat!' " the Pope said. "She was shy and didn’t want to breastfeed in public, while the Pope was passing," he continued. "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." Emer McCarthy, a journalist at Vatican Radio, told Catholic News Service that she breastfed her daughter discreetly during Sunday's baptism ceremony. "Who would have thought the Pope would be this great proponent?" she said. Breastfeeding in public, particularly in sacred sites such as churches, remains a sensitive issue for families, as noted by a recent Religion News Service article. A blog post on "Five Places Moms Need to Breastfeed Discreetly" listed churches as No. 5, following public pools, restaurants, airplanes and sporting events. "It's wonderful when moms want to bring the kids to church and nurture their faith early on," wrote blogger Mary Fischer. "But a coverup is a necessity with a baby in tow. Do I really have to elaborate here?"
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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deleting, blocking, pretending won't stop the questions and their implications from torturing ur souls. observer, i mean live4him, pretending to address ur issues that i raised by diversion doesn't cut it. u cannot outsmart me
u r so cute. when u r terrified of my piercing questions, the burst of posting activity always kills me. sorry. i can;t help it
So what does this have to do with nursing in church?
Again, if you think that Observer and Live4Him are the same person, you live in an alternate reality of your own making. I suggest a qualified threapist.
Bye bye gods...bye bye...
Some places used to have "mothers' rooms" for such things.
I don't have a problem so long as the feeding is discreet.
if something as natural as a woman feeding her child is that offensive to you, YOU can leave the room to more mature individuals.
If something as innocent as having some decorum is so offensive to you, you can leave the room to the more mature adults. Why is it so difficult to accept that not everyone is comfortable watching breastfeeding infants and so heinous to show a little discretion?
Why is anyone watching someone breastfeed?
It's distracting - better than crying, I guess, but then so often the little tykes spit up afterwards and it's GROSS.
Would you feed your toddler from a baby food jar during services?
The baby food jar does not swell up to the point of pain.
A child old enough to eat baby food does not need to eat as frequently as a nursing baby does.
But yes, if I'm expecting a very young child to sit through a service, I'd bring some food for them.
Newsflash to all men – breastfeeding is not about you and getting your approval. It happens because it's necessary. Deal with it.
newsflash.
Not all men are immature enough to think there is a problem.
I'd think a church pew would be one of the more obvious public places with some privacy.
Everything I've read about Pope Francis is positive. I am not a Catholic and not Christian either – but it is wonderful that a leader within the modern Christian faith is following the principles of the man who started that faith. It's no surprise that the world is falling in love with the Pontiff, while the likes of Rush Limbaugh and the US religious right are up in arms against him.
He's getting popular enough to be called the Antichrist by people like Limbaugh, which is indeed a compliment. 😉
Yeah that didn't happen but ok.
Perhaps, but Rush did call him a Marxist. But then, why would anyone listen to Rush?
I am surprised by this. I'm glad he sad it, just surprised he did.
To those who say it should or should not be done discretely I understand your positions, but it really isn't what this is about.
What I take away form this is he is downplaying the importance of a place. He is elevating people above things.
And that should be recognized.
" He is elevating people above things.
And that should be recognized."
So the current Pope meets the minimum criteria for having empathy as a human being? and being in such a "exalted" position we should be humbled he doesn't think he's better than us?
Are you for real?
Coming from the person who just labeled wonen who breastfeed "white trash", your judgement is skewed.
meets the min criteria for empathy? Just face it, you're a moron
"... we should be humbled he doesn't think he's better than us?"
I'm very much for real, but what you are doing is very much a straw man.
I did not say we should be humbled by his position.
I did not say I consider his job to place him in a elevated position in my consideration.
I noted that his position elevates people above geography, and his announcement does diverge from conservative views within the church.
The other thing you might want to consider is how do you elicit conduct which you would see as appropriate? You encourage it when it occurs, if you simply smack somebody no matter what they do all you do is breed confusion and irrationality.
So on those occasions when he does have his head on straight recognize he has done so.
He makes this non- Catholic smile.
The Dalai Lama can make me smile too, but that still doesn't mean that I believe in reincarnation, or any other Buddhist supernatural belief and more than Christian hooey.
Geez, I bet you're fun at parties.
Never knew that they had rules on breast feeding while in church, very odd.
The Pope thinks & feels llike a human being 1st and foremost, not like a man.
I have 2 children that were breast fed & I was careful , and as modest as I could be, as not to offend, it worked well for me.
Breast feeding in most parts of the world is not a choice, they must feed their babies anytime, anywhere, to know now that the church is understanding that fact of life FINALLY, is awsome.
I LOVE THIS POPE!!
There are no rules. He was just encouraging women to tend to their children rather than himself.
And I love him too! (It's hard to be a breastfeeding mom but it's a very important job!!)
This Pope is really helping the Churchill get into the 21st century, he is in touch with the people. Maybe he can turn around the continuous loss of followers. Bravo Papa !!
Have some decency and cover up if you breastfeed in Public. Indian Poor Day Laborers always breastfeed in Public but they have sense to cover up while they breastfeed.
What makes you think that a woman feeding her child is indecent? Grow up.
Women cover up. Your sense of outrage is ridiculous, as is your random capitalization.
You're a moron.
fransis' PR machine getting his name in the media today? Compelling topic?
Tom .. I suspect the Pope wishes he could do a little breast feeding, so I think this is really important news.
In fact ... if some of these chicks let me breast feed, I might step inside a church for the first time in my life ...
I'm an ex-Catholic who rejected the Church more than 30 years ago. If this pope had been in place back when I still had faith, I would probably never have walked away from what was then, and has been for decades since, a misogynistic and twisted religion.
So so true ! It is so sad it has taken this long to find the right man !!
"misogynistic and twisted"
yes, those must be the words that come to mind when one doesn't want to see some white trash woman breastfeeding her kid in a public place.
That you think women feeding their child are trash, white or otherwise, is telling. Grow up.
I don't want to shock you, but women of all races breastfeed. It is an instrinsic component of being a mother and has been for countless thousands of years.
Funny how it's the people that keep you locked down into a religion and not the power of a god.
Absurd statement.
Absolutely NOT an absurd statement. People have been perverting religion since day one.
How could a Pope being nice, or not possibly affect your faith in God? What you meant to say was it affects your regard for the Catholic Church as an organization. His being nice doesn't make Christian belief any more true than the present Dalai Lama make Buddhism true, right?
I was away from the church in my teens but I studied on my own and realized the catholic faith is wonderful and beautiful. As a women I am treated with more respect and love then can ever imagine. I hope you find your way home home to the church. What should draw us is the truth of faith in Jesus Christ and not so much the charism of people.
I have seen women breastfeed in St. Peter's Basilica years ago under a different pope. So it was allowed even then.
How Lesbian couple can breastfeed? They can't lactate.
Take a class in biology.
Nonsense. Given the proper additives, you don't even need to be female to lactate.
You are kidding, right?
No, I'm afraid he really is that ignorant.
Wow – I am so so so glad I wasn't raised a conservative, so I have to worry about whether the human body is a beautiful thing, or an ugly thing to be hidden.
Has nothing to do with being a conservative. Good grief. *eyeroll*
Um ... by definition the Pope is one of the most conservative people in the world, and religion is the epitome of 'conservative'.
I am not saying conservative is bad, just that I sure am glad I was raised progressive, open minded, and eager to help change the conservative world.
Sly you are jus slipping in your political pot shots.
Why would anyone equate the word 'conservative' with politics?
It is much more appropriately applied to human behaviors and beliefs, and sorry my friend, the Pope and the Vatican are among the most conservative people on earth.
I am not real sure who they voted for though, if that's what you mean.
I was referring to your implication that conservatives, by way of their political affiliation, have issues with the human body and it's beauty. I assure you that being conservative or liberal, has NOTHING to do with that.
I think Ghandi would have liked this pope.......
Did Ghandi like people that continue to cover up child abuse? You may want to rethink that.
Coming from a country where poor people sold (and still sell) excess daughters, there's no telling what Ghandi may have thought of it.
I'm sure it's fine to breastfeed as long as it's done in a private room away from other people. Have women been unable to do this before because of some church rule? I don't really see the problem here, it's not like the woman is doing this in a public area where others can see her private parts. Non-issue, move along please.
Why can't a woman feed her child in public? It is very natural. Only people that are immature about the human body would have an issue with it.
Yes and no. Back in the 1990s, a woman I had the displeasure to know treated feeding her baby as a kind of in-your-face political statement. Nursing for her was an "I dare ya." She brought her baby to work (using her poor secretary as babysitter) and would whip out her udders in front of her clients, who were paying her a few hundred dollars an hour for her counsel. It was professional, rude, and - to use your term - immature.
Time and place, igaftr. In church is fine, as long as the mother is discreet. In a professional setting, nursing is out of place and just plain rude.
(Professional should read "unprofessional")
Once you get past the ridiculous premise that a womans breasts need to be covered at all times, you can understand the natural beauty of the functions of the body. It is YOUR perception of it that is the problem, so it is YOUR thinking that needs to be changed. A woman breast feeding IS EXACTLY the purpose of the breasts, so in that context, there is nothing wrong at ANYTIME. There is nothing immoral about it, but the perception that there is something wrong is just a cultural thing. There are many cultures where breast feeding is out in the open, and no one thinks anything is "wrong".
You don't have to "whip out your udders" but if you do, it is not bad if it feeds a child who is whimpering. Taste is in the eye of the beholder. So don't look if you can't take it. There are polite and impolite ways to remain in touch while breastfeeding. Not being banished to some outer room is how to make a woman feel motherhood is valued. Her child will also be treated better.
Oh, please, "musings" and the other nitwit who replied...I am talking about a professional who dragged her baby around as a statement - at WORK - and purposely nursed the child - without trying to cover anything - in front of people in order to make them uncomfortable. She interrupted meetings with clients in order to nurse, making clients wait while she did so. Completely unprofessional and even childish. She was perfectly happy to leave the child with a sitter (cheapest she could find, of course) when nursing ended. This is what expressing machines are for. Babies do not belong in the office, nor does nursing belong in a professional consultation.
Peeing and pooping are natural. Yet we try and be discrete about it. I am not one to run off women who need to breatfeed. But they can be discrete and use covers. We cover our genitals with pants because society deems it appropriate. Blame societal norms on this. Every culture since the existence of man as them. We live here and now.
Please remember to put a cover over yourself when you are eating dinner this evening.
Considering the fact that those functions are to eliminate waste and therefore are unsanitary, while breastfeeding is not, you are comparing apples to a freight train, so your point is moot.
JWT
"Please remember to put a cover over yourself when you are eating dinner this evening."
Maybe some folks should do that! People slurping, smacking, talking with their mouths full and stuff like that is GROSS!
Breast milk is not poop. It tastes like vanilla ice cream according to my husband.
Dropping a deuce is also natural. But please shut the door to the bathroom when you go.
I am ok with public breastfeeding, if masturbation and peeing in public become legal too (it's all about perception).
comparing those three functions to each other makes an invalid argument. They are completely different things. One is $exual, one is sanitary, and one is feeding.
Try this and see if they fit the same catagory. go to a public resteraunt...when your food comes, bring it into the restroom, have a seat and start eating.
You clearly are not understanding. The whole point is that it is fine to breastfeed, IN PUBLIC. Not hidden away in a private room. Personally I wouldn't do this, as I would just be too nervous about exposing my boobs. 🙂 But that's just me. I think it's great that the Pope is accepting of this. Appropriately covering up is neccessary of course.
This "private room" thing is making of breastfeeding some unnatural and disgusting act. Ever see a Renaissance Madonna? They weren't shy about nurturing a child. In a world in which the breast is merely exploited and unnaturally enhanced for the benefit solely of the male gaze, perhaps we have lost our way and forgotten the meaning of it all.
My sister, with implants, marched me out of the room when I tried to breastfeed my infant at the table (under a shawl). We were in a Basque restaurant in ranch country. And this is what she said -"No breastfeeding in cow country." Such insanity!
Viva Pope Francis!
those demonic dresses have nothing to do with the humble teachings of Jesus Christ (Yeshua).
The dresses are demonic?
Oh yeah...the same demonic dresses that Christ wore and priests in the old testament wore...yeah..those demonic dresses.....Get away from here satan
Oh oh... conservatives aren't going to like that one.
I don't think they've much cared for anything he's done so far.
More from the 24×7 Pope Francis channel.
He's certainly shaking things up.
I thought it was the 24/7 Obama channel?
Wanna make up your mind?
I was referring to the belief blog.
Your bias is showing.
.
Troll is obvious troll.
Spam shouting that it is a religion is just shouting a lie.
The fact that athesim isn't a religion is what makes it true.