No hand on shoulder. The boys who will shortly receive the sacrament of Confirmation next April will not have a godfather or godmother by their side . A novelty that Father Cristiano Raspino, a Capuchin friar of the parish of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate, has decided to introduce in Oristano . The decision taken by the friar was communicated to the families of the candidates for confirmation a few days ago during a meeting. «I don't deny that for many it was a trauma to hear my words - says Father Cristiano - So much so that some families have already decided to transfer their children to other parishes in the city . And for me there is no problem. I respect everyone's choice. But in my opinion now the figure of godfather and godmother no longer makes sense. The sacramental aspect has disappeared, she has become an affective figure and that's it, not one of Christian witness".
A choice, that of the parish priest, thought out and matured over the years: «I didn't get up yesterday and made this decision - says Father Cristiano - I came to this conclusion after having consulted several parish priests. But above all after having chatted over the years with so many boys, godfathers and godmothers. I realized that the choice was made out of friendship, because there was an underlying good . This is fine but it's not enough. The choice must be made thinking about the journey of faith together, unfortunately many godfathers or godmothers over the years have told us that they weren't even practicing. How could they accompany their godchildren in the Christian path?».
This is why Father Cristiano has decided for now to directly eliminate this figure which is not mandatory for the church.