In the Orthodox tradition, there is a 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 are responsible before God for the churching of the baby.
The most common godparents are friends of the baby's family. Physiological mom and dad want to take very close people as godparents. 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 themselves 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 this question. It is impossible to be a godfather (godmother) in absentia. This practice took place in the pre-revolutionary years in Russia only during the baptism of the children of the royal families. But this practice could not meet all the canonical definitions of the Church regarding the duties of godparents in relation to infants.
Why can't you be a godfather in absentia? The fact is that the godparent is exactly 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 done physically without being present during the sacrament of baptism. That is why it is impossible in the full sense of the word to be a godfather in absentia. Accordingly, this practice should not take place in the minds of modern Orthodox society.
