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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Ap Correspondent

Pope Leo baptises 20 babies in tradition marking end of Christmas

Pope Leo XIV meets faithfuls at the end of his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

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.

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