By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
In an era when baby names such as Sienna and Brooklyn are considered fashionable, Pope Benedict XVI is calling for a return to the tradition of giving children Christian names that reflect their status as a son or daughter of God.
“Every baptised child acquires the character of the son of God, beginning with their Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit causes man to be born anew in the womb of the Church,” the Pope said during Mass in the Sistine chapel this weekend.
He added that a name was an “indelible seal” that set children off on a lifelong “journey of religious faith” and that the use of non-Christian names was a threat to family life.
“This is a great responsibility,” he said. “That is why I encourage all the faithful to rediscover the beauty of baptism and being part of God’s great family.”
Monsignor Andrew Faley, the assistant general secretary to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, told the Telegraph: “The name is not just a label but it moves us into a deeper significance of what it means to be human as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
“Naming children after perfumes, bicycles and countries is putting a limit on their potential. They are not merchandise or commodities.”
In 2008, Monsignor Bassano Staffieri, retired bishop of La Spezia in Liuria, Italy, issued the same call for an end to ridiculous baby names.
Bishop Staffieri told the Timesonline that of the 500 girls born in the city in 2008, “not one was registered or baptised with the name Maria.”
Mothers and fathers “should return to using a name like Maria, which is inspired by the Virgin Mary”, instead of opting for “exotic or strange names of which their children will later be ashamed”, the bishop said.
He does not believe the reason for this trend is because families are abandoning the faith but because they’re simply not giving enough thought to baptismal names. “The problem is they do not think about what they are doing,” he said.
Some are blaming the fad for weird baby names on celebrities who choose to give their children ridiculous names. For instance, actor David Carridine named one of his children I.P. Freely; musician Frank Zappa named his child Moon Unit; Gwyneth Paltrow named her daugher Apple; Jason Lee named his child Pilot Inspektor; and actress/musician Shannyn Sossamon named her child Audio Science.
The Catechism teaches that parents, sponsors and pastors should insure that a child is not given a name which is “foreign to Christian sentiment” but to give names of saints who can serve as models for children as they grow up.
“God calls each one by name. Everyone’s name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity of the one who bears it.” (#2158)
This name will accompany a person into eternity where “the mysterious and unique character of each person marked with God’s name will shine forth in splendor.” (2159)
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