Can a godparent marry his/her godchild?

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Paragon468

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Hey guys. Bit of an unusual question here. Say someone converts to Catholicism as an adult, and their godparent is of a similar age. Could they be romantically involved and/or marry in the future, or is this ruled out?
 
While I don’t think or know if it’s against the rules, I think it’s a bad idea.
 
Adult convert? So they’re about the same age? Circumstances alter cases.
 
Marrying your godmother is strictly prohibited, and has been for centuries. One of the condemned at the auto da fe in Voltaire’s Candide was there because he married his godmother.
 
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Yes they can, Code of Canon Law from 1983 by Saint John Paul II allows it.

Formerly it was forbidden, they were considered to have spiritual kinship.

The Code of Canon Law from 1917 forbids it. Namely in canons :

Can. 768. Ex baptismo spiritualem cognationem contrahunt tantum cum baptizato baptizans et patrinus.

Can. 1079. Ea tantum spiritualis cognatio matrimonium irritat, de qua in can. 768.
 
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Is a sponsor for an adult different than a godparent for a child?
 
Quoting canons is one thing, but can we at least please have them quoted in English unless it actually is a topic specifically on canon law?
 
Wesrock said:
Is a sponsor for an adult different than a godparent for a child?
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No, they, have the same role.
Maximilian75 said:
what makes you say that?
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A godparent’s job is to help your spiritual welfare. They’re supposed to be someone you can turn to for guidance and an example. It can be hard to do that when that person is your husband/wife. If I ever get married, I know I can go to my godfather to ask him for advice about my husband from a male perspective. It would be hard to do that if I was married to him.
 
yes, but the (usual) duality of godparents ensures that you’ll have one of each gender, and isint one of the main purposes of Christian marriage for the spouses the salvation of the other spouse, similar to that of a godparent?
 
Fauken said:
If I ever get married, I know I can go to my godfather to ask him for advice about my husband from a male perspective.
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I won’t have that if I marry him. The aim of marriage and being a godparent may be the same, but the nature of both roles are very different. Godparents, for example, do not need to be fruitful and multiply in the sense that a married couple does. Really, they don’t need to multiply at all.
 
My opinion would be NO! I see my godchild as my own child. My goddaughter is a beautiful woman who is older than I am (divorced from my good friend) but I see her as my own flesh and blood. It makes me sick to think of such a thing.
 
Paragon468 said:
Hey guys. Bit of an unusual question here. Say someone converts to Catholicism as an adult, and their godparent is of a similar age. Could they be romantically involved and/or marry in the future, or is this ruled out?
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in the Latin Rite, yes. The impediment of spiritual relationship was removed with the 1983 code of canon law.

If the people in question are under the Eastern Code, the answer is no as that impediment remains in effect for those Catholics.
 
I Mean… I am making the assumption that if you have two godparents, they are male and female- so, even if I marry my female godparent, I will still be able to reccieve male advice from my godfather.
 
For clarification guys, I was in a committed relationship with a non-Catholic. She converted and was baptized, and I sponsored her. Officially, I am her godfather. Before doing this, I was not aware of any rule making marriage in this case invalid or illicit.

Also, we were both baptized in the Latin Rite, but attend the Divine Liturgy in a Ruthenian church. We both intend to join the Byzantine Rite.
 
Paragon468 said:
For clarification guys, I was in a committed relationship with a non-Catholic. She converted and was baptized, and I sponsored her. Officially, I am her godfather. Before doing this, I was not aware of any rule making marriage in this case invalid or illicit.

Also, we were both baptized in the Latin Rite, but attend the Divine Liturgy in a Ruthenian church. We both intend to join the Byzantine Rite.
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Well then, you have a legitimate issue you need to work through BEFORE you change Rites if you intend to marry her.

Because, yes, this IS an impediment in the Eastern Code. But it is NOT in the Latin Code.
 
Wesrock said:
Quoting canons is one thing, but can we at least please have them quoted in English unless it actually is a topic specifically on canon law?
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I see your point.

However, it was forbidden to do an actual translation of the Code into the vernacular because the code is only binding in the original Latin. That no longer applies. It’s considered proper form to paraphrase rather than actually attempt to “quote” the Code in the vernacular.

Again, I do see your point. I’m just explaining why you typically will not see the 1917 Code translated the same way you might see the current Code.

What the law said is that there’s a spiritual relationship called “affinity” that arises between a baptised person and the Godparent (sponsor). This makes them spiritually related. As such, a Godparent marrying a Godchild was similar to incest, and therefore forbidden.

This was abrogated by the 1983 Code.
 
For not being permitted to marry a godparent in the Eastern churches. I heard this before, but I was unable to find a source for it.
 
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