Pope Leo baptizes 20 infants in Sistine Chapel to mark end of Christmas season

Pope Leo XIV personally baptized 20 infants in the Sistine Chapel in his first papal baptism, continuing a Vatican tradition that marks the end of the Christmas period.

Pope Leo XIV administered baptism to 20 infants in the Sistine Chapel beneath Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling. The ceremony took place on the feast that recalls Jesus’ baptism and is observed at the end of the Christmas period at the Vatican. In his first baptismal ceremony as pope, he spoke about faith as a vital gift that gives meaning to life. The event was attended by parents, godparents and siblings and proceeded without notable disturbance. Key details: - Twenty infants were baptized; the ceremony was held in the Sistine Chapel. - The children are the offspring of Vatican employees working at the Holy See and were brought to the baptismal font with their godparents and any siblings. - The baptismal font stood within a bronze base representing the Tree of Life, and each father received a candle symbolising the Christian light. - The feast commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan and the Vatican observance was established in 1981 by St. John Paul II. Summary: The ceremony continued a longstanding Vatican tradition that marks the close of the Christmas period and was the pope’s first baptismal rite. Undetermined at this time.