Pope Leo XIV has baptized 20 babies in the Sistine Chapel, continuing an annual tradition marking the end of the Christmas holiday at the Vatican. On Sunday, beneath Michelangelo’s frescoed ceiling, Leo celebrated his first baptismal ceremony as pope. He emphasized the importance of faith, comparing it to essential needs like food and clothing. The infants — children of Vatican employees — received the sacrament without fuss. The ceremony commemorates Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan, a feast day established in 1981 by St. John Paul II. Fathers receive candles symbolizing the Christian light guiding their path.
