Can a protestant be a Godparent in a Catholic baptism if married to a catholic?

[marymary1975]

My cousin in law is baptizing his daughter in the catholic church and they have chosen as Godparents his brother and his wife. The brother is indeed Catholic but the wife – who is to be the Godmother – is Protestant (born and raised and not contemplating becoming catholic any time soon). They got married in the Protestant church but they received proper dispensation from the catholic church for their marriage and despite she doesnt have plans to convert she agreed to and they are raising their kids catholic.

My understanding is that for baptism the Godparents must be Catholics in good standing, in fact my own priest for baptism has requested baptism and confirmation certificates from the catholic church for the Godparents so I am a little surprised about this. My cousin in law says says that the Deacon told them that his Protestant sister in law can be the Godmother and that the Godparents should be married (which I’ve never heard of either) so because she is the Godfather’s wife she can be a Catholic Godparent even if she is catholic

The church they attend doesn’t really has a priest (priests from neighboring towns go there to say masses or when in needed) so the Deacon is the one that organizes baptisms, etc. Because they haven’t spoken to a priest instead with a Deacon I am not sure as again, I’ve never heard of this.

So is there an exception to the rule that a Godparent has to be catholic? Can a protestant , whose never received sacraments in the Church , be a Godparent in a Catholic baptism if she is in an interfaith marriage with a Catholic? Is there are liturgical rule that says the Godfather and the Godmother should be married? Should I suggest to my cousin in law to double check with an actual priest?

 

[Kay_Cee]

I don’t know where you can find the rules, but my younger daughter’s Godmother is Catholic, and her Protestant husband is her Godfather. My daughter was baptized Catholic.

I assume that would not have happened if it were not allowed.

 

[jediliz]

a protestant can be a Christian Witness, but technically can NOT be a “Catholic” godparent.

 

[Usige]

From a legal standpoint? No. The Catholic party would be the sponsor (aka “godparent”). The non-Catholic part would simply be a christian witness. This is clearly spelled out in can 874§2:

Canon 874§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.

That being said, most people would not know the difference between a sponsor versus witness.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

To be a Godparent, one must be a confirmed, practicing Catholic. Any other baptized person (including Protestants) may be a Christian witness. Most of the time, no distinction is made between the two except on paper.

Being married to someone of a particular faith has no bearing on the issue. It’s a nice symbol if the Godparents are married, but not required.

 

[Usige]

To be a Godparent, one must be a confirmed, practicing Catholic. Any other baptized person (including Protestants) may be a Christian witness.

The only caveat is that the non-Catholic must be of the opposite sex of the Catholic.

 

[SMHW]

My cousin in law is baptizing his daughter in the catholic church and they have chosen as Godparents his brother and his wife. The brother is indeed Catholic but the wife – who is to be the Godmother – is Protestant (born and raised and not contemplating becoming catholic any time soon).

Keep in mind that “Godparent” is not the official English term used by the Church (even though it might appear on some preprinted forms.) The official term is “sponsor”.

A non-Catholic Christian can do do many of the things that we expect from a Catholic Godparent after the baptism, such as praying for the child and acting as an example of how a Christian should behave.

But a non-Catholic Christian witness cannot act as a representative of the Catholic Church, which is what a sponsor does at the time of the baptism.

All that said, most of my children have one Catholic sponsor and and one Christian witness and we still colloquially speak of the Christian witnesses as “godparents” because of the role they play in the lives of our (adult) children now.

 

[BartholomewB]

Marymary

Strictly speaking, only a duly confirmed Catholic can be a godparent under canon law. See Vico’s post #43 on one of several recent threads dealing with the same question:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=970377&page=3

In practice, though, each parish is given the freedom to apply the rule strictly or to make exceptions at the pastor’s discretion. If the parents are in doubt, they can have a quiet word with the priest who’s going to baptize the child. It’s up to him to accept or reject the godfather’s non-Catholic wife. From cases I have observed in my own family, I’d say it’s extremely unlikely that he would raise an objection. In any case, the baptism is valid, whether or not the godparents are confirmed, or even if they’re not Catholics at all.

 

[Gorgias]

In practice, though, each parish is given the freedom to apply the rule strictly or to make exceptions at the pastor’s discretion.

Actually, no. In practice, pastors take it upon themselves to follow or ignore the norms. Big difference. And, in practice, that means that parishes that do follow the rules end up with a never-ending chorus of “but at my brother’s parish, they allowed their Golden Retriever to be god-dog to their baby! Why can’t we do that heeeeerrrrrre?!?!? This parish is so mean, and so un-Christ-like!” :sad_yes:

If the parents are in doubt, they can have a quiet word with the priest who’s going to baptize the child. It’s up to him to accept or reject the godfather’s non-Catholic wife.

Actually, again, no. It’s perfectly legit for her to stand there in that role. The only difference is that she’ll be recorded in the baptismal register as “Christian Witness”.

 

[Corki]

Marymary

Strictly speaking, only a duly confirmed Catholic can be a godparent under canon law. See Vico’s post #43 on one of several recent threads dealing with the same question:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=970377&page=3

In practice, though, each parish is given the freedom to apply the rule strictly or to make exceptions at the pastor’s discretion. If the parents are in doubt, they can have a quiet word with the priest who’s going to baptize the child. It’s up to him to accept or reject the godfather’s non-Catholic wife. From cases I have observed in my own family, I’d say it’s extremely unlikely that he would raise an objection. In any case, the baptism is valid, whether or not the godparents are confirmed, or even if they’re not Catholics at all.

No, that is not one of the things that is within a pastor’s discretion. Pastor’s can’t dispense canon law requirements except in the few cases where such authority is specifically allowed under canon law itself. Baptism sponsors are not one of those cases.

 

[BartholomewB]

Actually, no. In practice, pastors take it upon themselves to follow or ignore the norms. Big difference. And, in practice, that means that parishes that do follow the rules end up with a never-ending chorus of “but at my brother’s parish, they allowed their Golden Retriever to be god-dog to their baby! Why can’t we do that heeeeerrrrrre?!?!? This parish is so mean, and so un-Christ-like!” :sad_yes:

Actually, yes. The pastor is given the freedom to take it upon himself to exercise his discretion.

Actually, again, no. It’s perfectly legit for her to stand there in that role. The only difference is that she’ll be recorded in the baptismal register as “Christian Witness”.

Actually, again, yes. Who decides, in practice, what the wording in the baptismal register will be? Think about it.

 

[Corki]

Actually, yes. The pastor is given the freedom to take it upon himself to exercise his discretion.

Actually, again, yes. Who decides, in practice, what the wording in the baptismal register will be? Think about it.

Please stop saying things like this. A pastor cannot take authority “upon himself.” Where the pastor has authority to make exceptions, that authority is expressly granted to him. Pastors do not have the authority to dispense from canon law regarding Baptismal sponsors.

And, you are right, a parish could put down anyone it wanted to on the baptismal record but that doesn’t make them a valid sponsor. A non-Catholic cannot be a Catholic sponsor - the two are mutually exclusive.

 

[Memaw]

My cousin in law is baptizing his daughter in the catholic church and they have chosen as Godparents his brother and his wife. The brother is indeed Catholic but the wife – who is to be the Godmother – is Protestant (born and raised and not contemplating becoming catholic any time soon). They got married in the Protestant church but they received proper dispensation from the catholic church for their marriage and despite she doesnt have plans to convert she agreed to and they are raising their kids catholic.

My understanding is that for baptism the Godparents must be Catholics in good standing, in fact my own priest for baptism has requested baptism and confirmation certificates from the catholic church for the Godparents so I am a little surprised about this. My cousin in law says says that the Deacon told them that his Protestant sister in law can be the Godmother and that the Godparents should be married (which I’ve never heard of either) so because she is the Godfather’s wife she can be a Catholic Godparent even if she is catholic

The church they attend doesn’t really has a priest (priests from neighboring towns go there to say masses or when in needed) so the Deacon is the one that organizes baptisms, etc. Because they haven’t spoken to a priest instead with a Deacon I am not sure as again, I’ve never heard of this.

So is there an exception to the rule that a Godparent has to be catholic? Can a protestant , whose never received sacraments in the Church , be a Godparent in a Catholic baptism if she is in an interfaith marriage with a Catholic? Is there are liturgical rule that says the Godfather and the Godmother should be married? Should I suggest to my cousin in law to double check with an actual priest?

The protestant can only be a witness along with a Catholic Godparent. The Catholic Godparent must be a confirmed, practicing Catholic. Surely the priest knows that and can explain it to them. Choosing Godparents for the baby should be a serious decision for the parents. I grew up never knowing my godparents as they were “on the spot” chosen by Fr. because my aunt and uncle couldn’t make it because of a snow storm. I met my Godmother when I was 50 years old. My Godfather was alread dead. My Godmother told me she never stopped praying for me all those years. and I found out from an older friend that knew my Godfather that he was a very devout Catholic that took his faith seriously and she was sure he prayed for me along with his other Godchildren. I am sooo grateful for my strong Catholic Godparents that never forgot me.They are always in my prayers, Masses and also their families here on earth. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Memaw]

From a legal standpoint? No. The Catholic party would be the sponsor (aka “godparent”). The non-Catholic part would simply be a christian witness. This is clearly spelled out in can 874§2:

That being said, most people would not know the difference between a sponsor versus witness.

A Catholic should!! And God does. God Bless, Memaw

 

[BartholomewB]

Please stop saying things like this.

Are you telling me stop giving honest answers to a poster’s questions? My answer is : Certainly not.

Are you empowered to tell me what I can and cannot write in my posts? I don’t think so.

A pastor cannot take authority “upon himself.” Where the pastor has authority to make exceptions, that authority is expressly granted to him. Pastors do not have the authority to dispense from canon law regarding Baptismal sponsors.

And, you are right, a parish could put down anyone it wanted to on the baptismal record but that doesn’t make them a valid sponsor. A non-Catholic cannot be a Catholic sponsor - the two are mutually exclusive.

There are two further mistakes in your post #12. It was Gorgias who used the expression “take it upon himself.” I was simply quoting his own words in my reply to him. And finally, if you will take the trouble to read my post #8, you will see that my purpose here is precisely to point out that the rules that are applied in practice are not the same as the rules laid down in canon law. You find that fact regrettable, and I fully understand why you hold that opinion. Nevertheless, it is a fact. I am giving the OP, in answer to her question, an undistorted statement of the contrast between the rules as they are on paper and as they are applied in practice, day by day and week by week, in our local parish churches.

 

[Corki]

Are you telling me stop giving honest answers to a poster’s questions? My answer is : Certainly not.

Are you empowered to tell me what I can and cannot write in my posts? I don’t think so.

I am telling you to stop spreading false information about the Church. And yes, we are all empowered (and directed to do such by the moderators of CAF) to call out posters who are posting things that are wrong according the Church.

There are two further mistakes in your post #12. It was Gorgias who used the expression “take it upon himself.” I was simply quoting his own words in my reply to him.

Too bad you didn’t actually quote him. :roll eyes:

And finally, if you will take the trouble to read my post #8, you will see that my purpose here is precisely to point out that the rules that are applied in practice are not the same as the rules laid down in canon law. You find that fact regrettable, and I fully understand why you hold that opinion. Nevertheless, it is a fact. I am giving the OP, in answer to her question, an undistorted statement of the contrast between the rules as they are on paper and as they are applied in practice, day by day and week by week, in our local parish churches.

You are in fact, distorting. To imply or boldly state that a pastor can ignore canon law is a distortion. If there is a pastor who is doing that, he is committing grave sin. Yet, even that sin does not change reality. A non-Catholic who stands up as a witness at a Catholic Baptism IS NOT a Catholic sponsor or Godparent, regardless of what anyone says or what flakey practices might be happening in your local parish Churches.

 

[BartholomewB]

I am telling you to stop spreading false information about the Church.

No, I have spread no false information. You’re quite wrong about that.

Too bad you didn’t actually quote him. :roll eyes:

Wrong again, Corki. Read it more carefully this time and you’ll see that I was actually quoting his words.

You are in fact, distorting.

Wrong again. No distortion, just the facts.

CAF rules recommend us to be charitable in our replies to other posters, and charitable is what I’m doing my best to be.

 

[Corki]

No, I have spread no false information. You’re quite wrong about that.

each parish is given the freedom to apply the rule strictly or to make exceptions at the pastor’s discretion.

It’s up to him to accept or reject the godfather’s non-Catholic wife.

Both of these are false information.

Wrong again, Corki. Read it more carefully this time and you’ll see that I was actually quoting his words.

Actually, yes. The pastor is given the freedom to take it upon himself to exercise his discretion.

This is what I responded to. Your words.

Wrong again. No distortion, just the facts.

It is distortion when you present the disobedient actions of a pastor in your personal experience as if they were legitimate options.

CAF rules recommend us to be charitable in our replies to other posters, and charitable is what I’m doing my best to be

Me too.

 

[Memaw]

Thank you and AMEN, Hope that settles it. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Usige]

A Catholic should!! And God does. God Bless, Memaw

I would agree. There are a multitude of things Catholics should know, but sadly they either forget or willfully disregard teachings in favor of their own interpretations. Some simply see the law as man made guidelines to be followed as convienent instead of seeing that the law is based in theology and our relationship to God.