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Many Catholic parents go to great lengths to ensure their children are baptized, and they must make similar efforts to see that their children are confirmed, Pope Francis said. Without confirmation, he said, young people will remain "halfway" on the path of Christian maturity and membership in the church. Confirmation "unites us more solidly to Christ. It completes our bond with the church," Pope Francis said Jan. 29 at his weekly general audience. The sacrament "gives us the special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith, to confess the name of Christ and to never be ashamed of his cross," the pope said. Confirmation solidifies and increases the grace given at baptism, "which is why it's important to make sure our children and young people receive this sacrament. We all make sure that our children are baptized, which is good, but perhaps we're not quite so diligent in making sure they are confirmed."

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