Public breast-feeding can be a topic of contentious debate. But for Pope Francis, there's no debate necessary.

The pontiff on Sunday encouraged mothers to breast-feed their children while celebrating the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in the Sistine Chapel. He reportedly baptized 28 children Sunday: 15 boys and 13 girls.

"The ceremony is a little long, someone’s crying because he’s hungry. That’s the way it is,” Francis said. “You mothers, go ahead and breast-feed, without fear. Just like the Virgin Mary nursed Jesus."

While celebrating the same event in 2015, the pope had similar words for the mothers present.

"You mothers give your children milk and even now, if they cry because they are hungry, breast-feed them, don’t worry,” he said.

Francis also appeared to support breast-feeding in public in an interview with La Stampa in 2013, in which he related an anecdote about a mother who was ashamed of breast-feeding her hungry child in front of the pope:

"The child was crying its eyes out as I came past. The mother was caressing it. I said to her: Madam, I think the child’s hungry. 'Yes, it’s probably time,' she replied. 'Please give it something to eat!' I said. She was shy and didn’t want to breast-feed in public, while the pope was passing. I wish to say the same to humanity: Give people something to eat!"