Pope Leo baptises 20 babies in tradition marking end of Christmas

Pope Leo XIV baptised 20 babies in the Sistine Chapel on Sunday, continuing an annual Vatican tradition that concludes the Christmas holiday period.

In his first baptismal ceremony as pontiff, Leo celebrated "the Lord’s gift of faith to the children," remarking that it "gives sense to the gift of life" beneath Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling.

“When we know something is essential, we immediately seek it for those we love. Who among us, in fact, would leave a newborn without clothing or nourishment, waiting for them to choose when they grow up how to dress and what to eat?'' the pontiff said.

“Dearest ones, if food and clothing are necessary to live, faith is more than necessary, because with God, life finds salvation,’’ he said.

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The pontiff personally administered the sacrament of baptism to the infants, who are the children of Vatican employees working at the Holy See. The parents approached the baptismal font placed within a bronze base representing the Tree of Life with the babies’ godparents and any siblings. The ceremony took place without tears and minimal fussing.

The celebration marks the feast day that recalls Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and was established in 1981 by St. John Paul II. The event is depicted on the Sistine Chapel’s north wall in a fresco by Pietro Perugino.

During the ceremony, each father was given a candle representing the Christian light that “illuminates our path.”

“I wish you to continue with joy during the year that has just begun and for all of your life, certain that the Lord will always accompany your steps.’’