In the Orthodox tradition, there is the practice of godparents, which is used during the baptism of infants. The godparents are considered the spiritual educators of the child, it is they who bear responsibility before God for the churching of the baby.
Most often godparents are friends of the baby's family. The physiological mom and dad want to take very close people to the godmother. However, sometimes there are situations when the desired godparents for one reason or another cannot be present during the sacrament of baptism. At the same time, the theoretical godparents really want to become such without being present during the sacrament. The question may arise: is it possible to be a godparent in absentia?
The Orthodox Church gives a clear answer to the question posed. It is impossible to be godmother (godmother) in absentia. This practice took place in the pre-revolutionary years in Russia only during the baptism of children of the royal families. But even this practice could not meet all the canonical definitions of the Church regarding the duties of the godparents towards infants.
Why can not be godmother in absentia? The fact is that the godparent is precisely the person who takes a direct part in the sacrament of the baptism of the child. During the sacrament, a kind of spiritual relationship occurs between the infant and the godparent. The godparents hold the child in their arms; it is they who renounce Satan for the baby and are combined with Christ. All this, like many other things, cannot be physically accomplished without being present during the sacrament of baptism. That is why it is impossible in the full sense of the word to be godmother in absentia. Accordingly, this practice should not take place in the consciousness of modern Orthodox society.
