Overview
- He personally administered the sacrament, addressing parents and calling faith an essential good for life.
- The infants, reported as eight girls and 12 boys, are traditionally children or grandchildren of Vatican employees.
- Parents approached a bronze font depicting the Tree of Life as the pope poured water and pronounced each child's name.
- White garments and candles lit from the Paschal candle signaled new life and Christian light, with concelebrants touching infants' mouths and ears.
- The ceremony was calm under Michelangelo’s frescoes, reflecting one of the few public rites held inside the chapel.