ACI Prensa Staff, Dec 8, 2023 / 19:00 pm
In order to study the most appropriate ways to restore the actual purpose of the role of godparents and sponsors, the bishop of Massa Carrara-Pontremoli in Italy, Mario Vaccari, has decided to suspend their selection for the sacraments of baptism and confirmation for three years.
The Vatican instruction on choosing confirmation sponsors states in Chapter IV that the preferred choice is the baptismal godparents, but it does not specify that it has to be them.
In a decree published Dec. 3, the prelate explained that he made his decision because the changing social context has led families to prioritize “emotional ties or good social relationships” over pastoral ones when choosing the godfather or godmother.
This, he pointed out, causes the educational and accompaniment role of the godparents in the Christian life of the baptized or confirmed to be reduced “to a simple liturgical presence.”