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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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I love the article except at the end when the woman says to bring a cover up and does she really have to elaborate here? I think it's a personal choice to cover up or not. Also have you ever breastfed a 6-12 month old baby? They want to see and cover ups usually get ripped right off! Breasts were designed by our creator to feed our babies! Let's think about that!
Nobody is saying breast feeding is unnatural or unhealthy. There is a time and a place, that is all.
Sure. When the infant is hungry.
No no no Dot!
It is when The Pope Says It Is Allowed.
Do it before then and you best be awaiting a sarious Smotin'!
Lactate on demand? That's some papal edict!
Ah, you do indeed under-estimate (Darwin 3.321a/2x) The Pope, and The Power Of God (Palm 431asx2c.so3) Verse 4.
Yer cracking me up, sly.
The point you seem to be missing is that kids don't get hungry or cranky at specific times.
Are you serious? REALLY! children are hungry at certain times of the day. MAYBE YOU SHOULDENT EAT THREE MEALS A DAY. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THAT
@Heidi..........You seem to be missing my point. I'm saying what you are saying. I'm not limiting when children should be fed. I said there isn't always a pattern. You feed them when you need to.
Re-read his remark, Heidi. His view supports yours.
the time is when an infant is hungry and the place is God's house! I can't think of a better place than the house of the person who brought us here!
That would be your parents house....
I'm not even going to get into it with you about the existence of any deities, just answer me this. Do you want me brushing my teeth or flossing while sitting next to you? Do you even care that your behavior makes someone else's skin crawl?
We're talking about FEEDING A CHILD. A SCREAMING CHILD. It's not that women wake up a sleeping baby and feed them. They are trying to keep the kid quiet so YOU aren't disturbed as well. It's a win win. You just can't satisfy people.
Reposted properly:
That is the biggest apples to oranges comparison I’ve ever seen. Quite a leap.
If seeing that makes your skin crawl, sit elsewhere. I would get up and move if you started to floss your teeth. Simple.
if you really think those are comparable to feeding a baby, you're a tool.
You act as if there are no other options. Not taking him or her into a place that he or she will be uncomfortable in the first place is a good option. Taking a pumped bottle is a good option. Going into another room is a good option.
Philliesphan I am not a "tool" if you don't agree with me you are another human who thinks their farts don't stink.
Sure those are good options. So are feeding her child right then and there.
" Not taking him or her into a place that he or she will be uncomfortable in the first place is a good option."
You want the mother to "ask" the infant where do they want to go?
Taking a pumped bottle is a good option.
And if the child has already drank what was pumped in the bottle?
Going into another room is a good option.
Since this is a restaurant, what room would you like for her to be sentenced to? Let me guess!
Bathroom. Mothers food will get cold, Women can breastfeed and eat their food at the same time.
What is the mother has other small children. Just leave them alone at the table?
You either hate mothers or infants.
Lactation rooms, baby sitters, take out the possibilities are endless
Or she can do as the Pope suggested and feed her child.
Well yes of course if the pope says so then by all means
Ok you pay for the baby sitter. Lactation rooms? I'm in NYC. I've never seen that. (Ok as a man, I wouldn't see that)
NYC, my sympathies. I'm not saying I would complain to management if someone is feeding their kid. But it is freaking disgusting in my eyes.
Sorry something so important is repugnant to you, point. By all means, look away.
Breastfeeding a baby is disgusting? Wow. Hey you are ent.itled to your feelings. I'll leave it at that.
Point, you poor poor thing... I feel so bad for you. Why do you hate breast feeding so much! I think you need to call your dr. and readjust your medication you seem to be a very angry and sad person.
We hear babies crying all the time in public places. Telling a mother, give your child something to eat does not mean breast feeding. The pope simply drew the attention of a mother to her crying baby.
He mentions nothing about breast feeding.
You're right. He was clearly talking about giving the baby a sammy. 🙄
Men get horn.y at the mention of breast, can you imagine the hormonal imbalance that an exposed breast will cause? Ladies, your breasts are for your kids only, please don't flash them for the world to see.
No Hugh, you get horn.y at the mention of breast.
They're not "flashing" them. You get so exited at a mother feeding her infant that you can't control yourself??
Listen if I can get through a whole sermon about Satan, you can get through a boob sighting. Then you can go home after church like I do and share it with someone who cares.
That is the biggest apples to oranges comparison I've ever seen. Quite a leap.
If seeing that makes your skin crawl, sit elsewhere. I would get up and move if you started to floss your teeth. Simple.
Meant for point is.
Catholic cover their hair inside the church, they will be the last ones who want a public show of themselves feeding their babies.
The pope is a compassionate man who understood a babies cry, this baby could have cried for a million reasons, hunger was just one of them. It probably needed a diaper changes, the pope is reassuring this mother that it is okay for her to take care of her baby, nothing more to this story.
That's old school, covering one's hair; however, I think you're right.
Not all mommies breast feed their babies. Feed your hungry child does not mean a command to strictly breast feed.
No, clearly he meant something else when he said this:
“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."
You mixed up two separate conversations, by two different people on two separate occasions. In this specific instance the pope asked this woman to take care of a crying baby when heard a baby cry. How can anybody tell a stranger to breast feed when you don't know if this particular baby is being bottle fed?
No I didn't. Here is the first part of that conversation:
“I said to her: ‘Madam, I think the child’s hungry. … Please give it something to eat!’ ” the Pope said.
Here is the whole passage:
“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.”
Oh, I get what you're saying, Lewis.
Although I do believe, in this instance, he was giving permission to breastfeed.
That's the point. 'Give it something to eat' does not mean, 'Woman, breast feed your crying baby'. The pope has no way of knowing how this child is fed, it could be bottle fed or it's probably a Gerber baby, who knows? He's just drawing attention to a crying baby that needs to taken care of.
Sure he could have meant something else, but given how widely reported on this Pope is, if he hadn't meant breastfeeding, I'm sure a statement to that affect would have already be issued...
Literacy is a wonderful thing .... "She was shy and didn’t want to breastfeed in public, while the Pope was passing," he (the Pope) 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."
So yes, the Pope did mention Breastfeeding. What article were you reading?
Maybe he trying to get the priests excited over more than just boys.
The ones who like boys ought to be shot, the ones who like boobs can stay, and I can sit in the back fanning myself while they talk about Satan.
Pedos should get the death penalty and I wouldn't feel sorry for them at all.
Oh this must be about the Breast Feeding Frenzy that this guy I know that makes stuff out of bottle tops was telling me about. Does it start this week already? I think I'm a little overdue to confess a few things. If I can get my nephew Toolie to watch my neighbor's hubcaps for me, I can probably make the 8am and the 7:30pm and probably the 5pm on Saturday over at that place around the corner – St Anthony Claret. Sounds like they might serve real wine in there for communion. I'm in!*!!
..."NO one knows if this "jesus Christ" existed, and if he did, NOTHING is known about him!"
WHY I AM NOT A CHRISTIAN Bertrand Russell 1928
I'm real! At least I think I am. Am I not?
A blog post on "Five Places Moms Need to Breastfeed Discreetly" listed churches as No. 5, following public pools, restaurants, airplanes and sporting events.
OK, this is from a "blog post" not an authority on etiquette but really.
Pools? Pretty much 95% of the female anatomy is on display at a public pool. Someone is worried about a baby covering naughty bits up instead of a swatch of wet fabric? Inconceivable.
Airplanes? A mother breastfeeding verus a crying baby? No contest – that's an easy choice.
Restaurants? Ditto
It's not the body itself it's the horrible thought of what an infant must endure to get a meal. Watching a lion eat a gazelle isn't much better, or a chicken eat a roach. We know it happens. You just don't want to see it.
"what an infant must endure to get a meal"??? Thousands of men would love to "endure" that!
You probably have already, and it was your mom.
It's ironic that the same mothers who are afraid/ashamed to breastfeed in church are probably sitting near medieval paintings of the Virgin Mary breastfeeding baby Jesus!
So you think the middle ages were a good thing I take it?
right next to all those graven images in the church?
The breasts are made specifically to feed babies. It is society that perverted the breast and cast it as a social stigma to be shown in public. I guess you can be discreet by using a breast pump and then using a bottle. However, the debate is less about the mother and child than it is about the maturity of society. Just grow up already!
My back end was made for making poo. Just sayin.
Not that's a funny ending!
Nursing is NOT comparable to making poo.
Digestion is digestion
Please tell me why doesn't your god appear to the world and show us all that he is the one?
He seems to be narcissistic enough and vain enough and insecure enough to want more adoration and more worship. Your book which you keep bleating is the "word of god", certainly sees god commanding you endlessly to adore him and worship him and bow before him and idolize him and praise him.
It would be effortless for him to show himself, like he seemed to do pretty regularly back in the bronze age, and he wouldn't have to send so many people to eternal fire and pain and torment. Surely, if he is the loving god that you claim, he would be anxious to save all these people rather than damn them?
I am shaking my head as I write this, in amazement at the pure infantile foolishness that enables you to believe in something so patently false.
It's amazing. Simply amazing.
In Christianity it's a matter of "one day", not today not to morrow but one day. It can always be postponed. In some other religions their god(s) are supposedly around as we speak, those are the ones that seem more worth chasing. If you are in a "big foot" sort of mood.
He's shy. He's, you know... not particularly buff or well-endowed, and he's the Almighty Father and all that. Also, there may be warrants over that thing with the 14 year-old.
I think part of the reason that he doesn’t reveal himself completely, visibly to everyone, is because he knows our nature, and knew all along that the ultimate plan was to send his holy and perfect son to redeem us. He revealed himself to the children of Israel and they disobeyed, they repented and he revealed himself again, they rebelled, and so on, over and over again. At some point, his glory left the earth and you will notice the people started referring to him as the God of heaven.
Of course, his son walked the earth and revealed himself to thousands of people. He made a way that we can all be reconciled to God and went back to heaven. Then he sent his holy spirit as a witness on the earth from that time till now.
As you wrote RB "You think". It's a guess for you and a guess for others that believe as you do. Nobody knows. You can only go by a book that is written just like all other books. It doesn't matter if it's Harry Potter or the bible. All written by man. (or woman)
So every time religion is mentioned, we have to have a debate about the validity of Christianity or the existence of god? I'm an agnostic myself, but could we stick with the contents of the article?
you feel free to focus on the minutiae. Me, I want the BIG questions answered.
Stop asking the Pope such absurd questions.
This Pope is going to drive those Republicans crazy.
Speaking as I Republican I can say, not really. We are (or should be) about individual rights and responsibilities, and this is about both. I'm not Catholic, but in this case I think the Pope has it correct.
That is a stupid comment.
Have you heard the repubs lately?
True. I'll bet with his next sensible pronouncement, Michele Bachmann's head will just spin completely around.
and who said a woman needs permission from anyone to feed her baby?
The same men who sit in Congress and say that women can't make their own reproductive decisions.
Granted I want no government at all as in anarchy but just for the record, in your eyes you are saying that it is not okay to make an infant wait for a meal until he's in a secluded room but it's fine to rip him out of his starting point organ by organ?
Interesting. Glad I'm not your kid. Either way.
Babies ARE NOT ABORTED. Embryos are. 90% of abortions occur in the first 3 months.
Hysterical men afraid of lady parts.
Well, not usually, but when God is involved, yes.
You cannot pick you nose at the Vatican if the Pope is present, although CNN is currently investigating reports that the Pope will, yes, WILL, allow nose picking within the Vatican.
Sure puts the ol' breast feeding story on the back page now doesn't it! Heh heh heh. Breast feeding. Pschaw ...
I challenge anyone to find anything bad or negative with breasts !
They get in the way when I'm washing dishes. They're the main reason I can't play tennis worth a damn. They are tumor factories.
Also interfere with golf swings!
At my age you can tie em in a bow.
This is a conversation a man should stay out of.
His Holiness wants to breatfeed in church? Well, more power to him. It is after all his church, right? But I don't want to be sitting next to him while he does it!
Great post 😀
Men can't breastfeed.
No way!!!
I would disagree unless their is a private area such as a nursing room for this to be done. Breast feeding babies is healthy, but personally I want to go to church for God. Does one really want to see their partner showing their breasts in the middle of church service. Just my opinion
Really turns you on to see a baby on 'em, eh?
It's not like a nursing mother walks around flashing people. It's completely natural and a process that was designed by God. If your ability to worship is hindered by a breastfeeding woman, then that is YOUR problem, not the woman's.
My ability to worship is hindered by the invisibility factor. The later only affects my ability to keep my lunch down.
If you don't want to see a woman breast feed, don't look.
How about just not looking then, pervert.
Dear pope,
Satan tells me you are running around telling everyone you know me. Please stop lying, I have no idea who you are.
God
Dear god,
Why don't you make yourself visible and tell us what to do? Until then, you don't exist.
Someone with a (non-brainwashed) brain
He already did. He healed the sick, brought back the dead to life and raised himself from the dead- but still many don't believe.
When He returns again to make Himself visible, it will be too late to claim your salvation. Please look inside yourself and make sure you are aware of where you stand and the importance of what you do here on Earth before.
I know you're going to laugh at this because you think you know everything and are your own god. If you put your faith in yourself, you're setting yourself up to save yourself.
-Someone with a (baptized and washed) brain
Healed the sick? Then why are there dead people?
Raised the dead? Why are there cemetaries?
Look inside myself? ewwwwwwwwww.
yes all this happened in your bronze age story book with no other verifiable proof. As such, I am as likely to believe that Harry Potter killed Voldemort as I am to believe anything in your cult book of horrors.
I'd rather believe/have faith while I am alive, than wish I had after my life ends. If there is no God, then after I die, I won't know the difference anyway.
Yes I see. If there is no God then you have let the Church control you and take your money while the pastor sleeps with your spouse 🙁 Dad always said that if the preacher comes "put the chickens away and sit on your wife's lap !"
What difference would it make to know after you one is dead anyway? Just curious (Unbiased).
Uri: that's just like me. I'd rather wear a pink tutu all my life just in case I stumble into a ballet one day.
This is called Pascal's Wager, and you better hope you picked the correct version of the correct god.
if "he" doesn't exist, why are you writing dear god letters to him? >:-[D>
Dad, why did you let them nail me to the cross?
Our sins nailed him to the cross, not us. The difference is that Jesus willingly let them put him on the cross to die for us. He cried out "Why hast thou forsaken me" because in that moment he took on the sin, sickness, pain, and death upon himself and became that sin dying upon the cross.
Sorry but that is a big load of crapola. The delusion is strong in this one!
This was a great article until the Mary Fischer part. Why include someone with those feelings in wonderful piece about the pope and breastfeeding.
You saw the pope breast feeding the priest too?
when I was a kid, I broke into the church and stole some hosts for the movie theater. It was blessed fun throwing them around in the theater.
I used to spend a lot of time worrying about why people kill one another, why they fight, why they refuse to show any decorum in general. Then I just looked to my cat for answers. Short answer we are critters. You can't expect too much from us. You can't change it. A dog will still clean himself and we will still bite our toenails and all the other things we are so good at.
And we are not going to change for millions of years most likely.
I like your handle.
Evolution is proof there is no religious god. Like a god's going too wait for man to pop out of evolution to praise him.
If I were a god. I'd laugh my behind off at these religious delusional.
I don't bite my toenails.
Dude you are missing out.
I've seen my toenails. No thanks.
@Evolutionist,
I don't know what an "evolutionist" is, but your understanding of evolution is sorely lacking.
How arrogant of the pope. Telling people it's Ok to feed? Who the heck does he think he is? Royalty?
Then again, the real concern are the women who submit to his presence and needed approval. Just like middle eastern muslim women , treated a s2nd class and accepting it.