Irish Examiner view: Godparents

In praise of . ..

Here in Ireland most of us are honoured to be asked to undertake duties for the children of friends and relatives and none do so begrudgingly.

It is sad news that several dioceses in Sicily have declared a moratorium on parents choosing godparents for their newborn infants because church officials believe that those selected either lack the knowledge or moral fitness to assist in the spiritual development of those who are placed into their charge.

"It's an experiment," Msgr Salvatore Genchi, the vicar general of Catania, told the New York Times. He estimated that 99 percent of the diocese's godparents were not suitable for the role.