Can a Methodist be a Catholic God Parent?

[Jeffery_J_Smith]

Hi, my sister is having her 1st baby next September, and I have been asked to be the God Father of the child. I’m a practicing Catholic and I have a solid understanding of our faith. But, my brother-in-law wanted to know if it would be ok for his sister (who left the Catholic faith and is now a Methodist) to be the God Mother in this Catholic baptism. I said that it may not be possible for her to do this since she may have to make promises that she can’t keep, like teaching the child the Catholic faith. But they still want to know if she can be the God Mother. So, is it possbile for a Methodist who left the Catholic faith to be the God mother, as long as at least one God parent will for sure be a solid God parent promoting the Catholic faith?

 

[1ke]

No.

A baptized non-Catholic can be a Christian witness to the the baptism, together with a Catholic godparent:

Can.* 874 §1. To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must:

1/ be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function;

2/ have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause;

3/ be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on;

4/ not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared;

5/ not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.

§2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.

However, your sister in law is not a non-Catholic (Methodist), she is a Catholic who is not in good standing with the Church due to her current state of separation from the Church. So, she can be neither a sponsor (a.k.a. godparent) nor a Christian witness to the baptism.

 

[anp1215]

Only Catholics in good standing may be godparents. Only one godparent is necessary, so sometimes, a couple will choose one godparent (Catholic of course) and then have another baptized Christian serve as a “Christian witness” to the Baptism. This is similar to the role of a godparent, but it is not the same, because once again, only Catholics may be godparents.

The problem with the situation you described is that the sister is not actually Methodist in the eyes of the Church, she is a Catholic who has turned away from the faith. If she had been born and raised Methodist, then she could be a Christian witness. But the Church now sees her as a non-practicing Catholic. As such, she is not eligible to be a godparent.

 

[The_Holy_War_11]

Very interesting.