The pope is pleading with parents to stop giving their children frivolous names modeled after celebrities and return to classic Christian monikers instead.
After baptizing more than a dozen children at Mass this weekend -- whose names were presumably not Mary or Joseph -- Pope Benedict XVI took a moment to remind Catholics that a name is an "indelible seal" that puts a child on a lifelong "journey of religious faith," the Daily Telegraph reported.
"Every baptized 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," he said at the Sistine Chapel on Sunday. In other words, baptism is serious.
"This is a great responsibility," the pope said, according to the Daily Mail in London. "That is why I encourage all the faithful to rediscover the beauty of baptism and being part of God's great family."
Pope: Give Babies Christian Names
Jan 11, 2011 – 9:30 AM
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