Pope baptizes 21 newborns

(January 10, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday commemorated the Baptism of the Lord baptizing 21 newborns at a traditional Mass in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel marking the end of Christmas season. Standing under Michelangelo's magnificent “Last Judgment” fresco, the pope poured water on the foreheads of 13 baby boys and 8 baby girls, all children of Vatican employees. Some babies screamed, other squirmed, some slept through it. In his homily at Mass Pope Benedict reflected on the importance of Baptism saying children must be "educated in faith, instructed according to the wisdom of sacred Scripture and the Church's teachings, so that the seeds of faith that they receive today can grow, and they can reach full Christian maturity." In this task, he said, "The collaboration between the Christian community and the family is much needed in the current social context in which the institution of the family is threatened from many sides and finds itself faced with many difficulties in its mission to teach the faith." "The disappearance of stable cultural references and the rapid transformation that society continually undergoes, make the educational task truly difficult,” he acknowledged. "Therefore, it is necessary that parishes increasingly strive to support families, the little domestic Churches, in their work of passing on the faith," the Pope urged.