Pope Francis: Baptism is the starting point of a path of conversion that lasts our whole life

(CNA/EWTN News) During his general audience on November 13, Pope Francis devoted his reflections to the sacrament of Baptism, stating that it opens the door a journey of faith, and helps to sustain us along the way.

Each Sunday when making the Profession of Faith, we pray the words “I believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins,” noted the Pope, adding that this Baptism is “the door of faith and the fountain of Christian life.”

It expresses “our relation with God as children, as well as the starting point of a path of conversion that lasts our whole life,” he explained, and it “constitutes a true immersion in the death of Christ” in order “to rise with him in a new life.”

Focusing on three main elements of the proclamation, Pope Francis explained first that the words “I confess” are a “solemn declaration” which “highlights the importance of Baptism and affirms our identity as children of God.”

“In the Sacrament,” said the pontiff, “our faith is also linked to the remission of sins. When we confess our sins, we renew and strengthen our Baptismal identity.”

Read full text: Baptism is a ‘bath of regeneration,' says Pope