Pope Francis on Breastfeeding In Public: 'Mothers, Give Your Children Milk'

"Mothers, give your children milk."

This was how Pope Francis encouraged mothers to breastfeed their babies in public in a message he delivered during the baptism of 33 babies in the Sistine Chapel in Rome over the weekend. The Catholic Church leader poured holy water on the foreheads of 13 male and 20 female infants during the event.

The annual ceremony marked the end of the Christmas season as infants of Vatican employees were initiated into the Christian faith. For Christians and Catholics, baptism is a holy sacrament where infants or converts are initiated into the Christian faith.

"And even now, if they cry because they are hungry, breastfeed them, don't worry," Pope Francis said in Italian on Sunday, according to NBC News' translation of his remarks.

The Pope appeared to diverge from his prepared script when he said "allattateli," which means "breastfeed them" instead of saying "give them milk," according to Yahoo.

This appeared to have encouraged one mother who was seen breastfeeding her baby even before the Pope read the homily. The Pope lamented the plight of many people around the world who are too poor to feed their own.

Pope Francis asked his listeners to remember poor mothers around the world, "too many, unfortunately, who can't give food to their children."

Exactly at the same occasion last year, the Pontiff also encouraged mothers to nurse their children "if they are crying with hunger."

The invitation to breastfeed typifies the down-to-earth style Pope Francis has adopted since being elected pope in 2013.

His view on breast-feeding is a big boost for those championing the right to breast-feed in public, which isn't always met with support.

While most states in the U.S. permit public breast-feeding, many mothers have been asked to step into a restroom or to cover up.

Several controversies have also arisen when public breast-feeding is depicted in the media.