Msgr. Bassano Staffieri of La Spezia, Italy, wishes more baby girls were named Maria:
“A name is not just a sound, it has a profound meaning.” 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 also said that the issue is not that Italians are abandoning the Catholic faith, but that parents just aren’t putting a lot of thought into baptismal names.
This story reminds me of the Israeli rabbis who created a list of names they thought should be off-limits to Jewish children.
Do you know of any other religious leaders who have weighed in on baby name issues?
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The use of non-Muslim names for Maroccan children in The Netherlands is hotly debated: http://islamineurope.blogspot.com/2007/04/netherlands-moroccan-babies-get-only.html
(I always find these stories very interesting, thanks for the read!)
Thank you, Emma!
This was interesting, but I wonder just which names the Bishop is referring to. I haven’t seen Italian parents use as many outlandish names as Americans. The only two Italian nature names that are a bit out there and that are actually used that I know of is Azzura and Ambra. Then of course there is Giada and Gemma, but those are also saints names.