Bishop: Quit with the stupid baby names, already!

Via CMR (one of my new favorite blogs, by the way):

An Italian bishop has called on parents to stop giving their children "ridiculous" names and revert to traditional Christian names instead.

Monsignor Bassano Staffieri, retired bishop of La Spezia in Liguria, said that of the 500 girls born in the city this year, "not one was registered or baptised with the name Maria". He added."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. There were signs that parents were reverting to traditional names for boys, "but this is still not the case with baby girls, alas". (underlining mine)

He said the reason was not so much that Italian families were abandoning the Catholic faith but rather that they did not give enough thought to baptismal names. "The problem is they do not think about what they are doing".

Here's a good litmus test if you have doubts about the name you are considering: when you tell your friends what you are thinking of naming your child, do they ask in return, "What saint is that?"

If they have to ask, keep trying.

Unless, of course, you chose "Columkille."