To mark Easter weekend, Le Monde traces the history of this symbol-laden ritual.

Baptism is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church and the first of the sacraments of Christian initiation, followed by Confirmation and the Eucharist. According to the Holy Scriptures ...

Baptism has been a symbolic way of joining the Church from the very start of Christianity. It actually predates Christianity; John the Baptist baptized Jews before Jesus came on the scene ...