On April 10th, a conference was held in Casale Monferrato to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. One of the speakers was His Excellency Monsignor Franco Giulio Brambilla, Bishop of Novara and one of Italy’s most authoritative theologians. His talk, profound and well-structured, was unfortunately reduced to a sensationalist headline by those who, whether through carelessness or malice, chose to extract a single phrase from its context to fabricate yet another controversy.
In reflecting on the meaning of baptism—described by him as “one of the most eloquent rites we still have today”—Msgr. Brambilla also addressed the topic of godparents, an issue that in recent years has sparked not a few debates within the Italian Church. In many dioceses, bishops have chosen to temporarily or permanently suspend this traditional figure. A decision driven by pastoral reasons, but one that often meets resistance from those who reduce the role to a formality or, worse, a social custom.
The bishop spoke candidly, referring to a part of his diocese: “In Val d’Ossola, you can’t find a single suitable person to be a godfather: either someone’s crooked, or irregular, or divorced, or separated, or thrice married—imagine who could even do it.” Words that startled local patriots, but which anyone familiar with parish life can only recognize as bitterly true.
This was clearly not a judgment on individuals, nor an attack on the families of that region, but rather a reflection on a crisis of faith and Christian coherence running through our communities. More importantly, it was a theological reflection on how the role of godparent has been emptied, reduced—as Brambilla himself said—to “family property,” rather than being understood in its original meaning: a guarantor of the faith and companion in the Christian life.
It is telling that the harshest criticism came from those already hostile to the bishop for entirely different reasons, who seized the opportunity to stir up the press and spread outrage. What is most striking, however, is the hypocrisy of these reactions. Anyone with pastoral experience knows how difficult it is today to find godparents who can genuinely fulfill their role. The controversy, in truth, exposes a deeper issue: the media’s struggle to honestly report on what happens within the Church, and even more, society’s (and not only society’s) difficulty in accepting Catholic doctrine. When a bishop speaks clearly, when he reaffirms the principles of doctrine and does not yield to relativism, he is attacked. It already happened in the past with Msgr. Brambilla, one of the few who, during the Synod on the Family, had the courage to remind us that sin is not a subjective matter, but an objective one.
Today, bishops capable of articulating a theologically grounded and profound thought are increasingly rare. Brambilla has a solid academic background: a licentiate from the Gregorian University on von Balthasar’s theology of the cross, and a doctorate in systematic theology on Schillebeeckx. He directed the Faculty of Theology of Northern Italy for years, forming generations.
In his speech, he also remarked with a touch of irony but great realism: “The ancients debated serious matters, we debate episcopal appointments.” A phrase that aptly summarizes the current climate within the Church, where too often energies are spent on power dynamics and personal ambitions, rather than reflection on the great themes of the faith.
Perhaps it’s time to listen again to Msgr. Brambilla’s address and focus on the central themes of that worthy conference—if we are able to.
F.P.
Silere non possum