Pope Tells Christians Church Is Their "Mamma;" Says They Should Celebrate Baptism Date Each Yr.

Pope Francis gave pilgrims attending his weekly public audience today (September 11, 2013) what he called a "homework assignment" to find out the date they were baptized and celebrate it every year, according to the Catholic News website.

"Our baptismal date is the date of our birth in the church," he said. "When you go home today, look hard for the date of your baptism, so you can celebrate it and thank the Lord for this gift."

The pope's remarks came during a talk on the subject of the church as mother, for which he mostly used the informal Italian term "mamma."

He added, "The link is vital, like that one has with one's own mom, because the church is really the mother of Christians."