The Catholic Church in Italy banned … godparents?

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You come to my house on my daughter’s wedding day and tell me that I can no longer be called the godfather? The Catholic Church really turned things upside down in Italy this month after banning baptismal godparents in an Italian diocese.

According to The New York Times, the decision was made out of concern for the unsavory aspects of the role, which is often open to Mafia exploitation.

Catholic Church leaders in Catania have imposed a three-year ban on naming godparents at baptisms starting this month. They claim that many local families turn to power brokers to be their children’s “comparators” because they are more interested in securing gold necklaces and networking opportunities than in spiritual leadership.

Italians, who are not at all fiery or passionate about things, are likely to find a problem with the ban. This would have already put a damper on the usual lively baptismal celebrations in the Sicilian region.

“It’s shocking,” said Jalissa Testa at the baptism of her son in Catania on the first Sunday of the ban on godparents. “In our hearts we know, and they will know, that he has a godfather. “

But the leaders of the Catholic Church remained rebellious. Mgr. Salvatore Genchi, the vicar general of Catania, called the ban an “experience”, arguing that most of the godparents in the diocese were not up to the management of their responsibilities. Genchi, interestingly, is the godfather of at least 15 referrals.

Reverend Angelo Alfio Mangano, of the Church of Saint Mary of Ognina in Catania, said he approved the ban because it meant he would no longer have to face “threats against the parish priest” from dubious characters who sometimes used the position for social blackmail.

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