Baptism

[faith11]

I was taught all through Catholic school that the role of the Godparents was to promise that the child would be raised as a Catholic in case of the passing of the parents. Now I’m being told that that is not the role. The job of the Godparent is to assist you in your faith and that it is illegal to promise such a thing. Which is true?

 

[Phemie]

I was taught all through Catholic school that the role of the Godparents was to promise that the child would be raised as a Catholic in case of the passing of the parents. Now I’m being told that that is not the role. The job of the Godparent is to assist you in your faith and that it is illegal to promise such a thing. Which is true?

A godparent has no legal standing. His/her role is strictly to assist parents in raising their child in the Catholic faith.

If the parents choose godparents with the intent that they will be their child’s guardians if they were to die, and if the godparents agree to it, they can see a lawyer and have that legally arranged. It could be as simple as naming them as guardians in the wills.

 

[1ke]

I was taught all through Catholic school that the role of the Godparents was to promise that the child would be raised as a Catholic in case of the passing of the parents.

Who taught you this? A lot of people think this is true, but I don’t know where they get the idea.

It has has no basis in Catholic canon law. The role of a sponsor in a Catholic baptism is:

Can. 872 Insofar as possible, a person to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who assists an adult in Christian initiation or together with the parents presents an infant for baptism. A sponsor also helps the baptized person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations inherent in it.

It may very well be that in past times or other cultures this was a role a Godparent took on based on the wishes of the parents. It might have even been a custom in some places.

But, it is not part of the role of a sponsor in the Church.

Now I’m being told that that is not the role. The job of the Godparent is to assist you in your faith and that it is illegal to promise such a thing. Which is true?

The *canonical *role of a Godparent is to assist the person being baptized in the faith.

The parents can choose to have them involved in another way if they want.

I’m not sure what you mean by “illegal” to promise to raise them Catholic in the event of their parents’ death. The parents could set up legal guardianship of their children with whomever they choose.

 

[love4mary]

Kinda glad you cleared that up for me as well. As an atheist child growing up (was baptised a Catholic though), I not only feared the death of my mom (my dad died when I was 5 months old) but I also feared I would be raised by my Godparents. Dont get me wrong, I loved them dearly, but the thought as an atheist of being raised in a Christian home scared the beegeebers out of me .

Now, I wonder what my life would have been like if I was raised in a solid Christian home.