Can I be a Catholic godparent?

[miss1393]

Can I be a Catholic godparent? I was raised Methodist, one of my parents says I was baptized Catholic but the other believes it was Methodist. I was never confirmed. My daughter is being raised Catholic, we married in the Catholic religion, and baptized our child Catholic.

I was told I couldn’t be the godmother because I was never confirmed. Is this true? It does not make sense to me that I can be married, baptize my child, go to a Catholic church, but not be allowed to be a godparent. I am also going through the process to become an ordained minister. Does this make a difference?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Here are the requirements from the Code of Canon Law for a person to qualify to be a godparent to a Catholic child (please see the emphasized passages):

§1 To be admitted to undertake the office of sponsor, a person must:
1° be appointed by the candidate for baptism, or by the parents or whoever stands in their place, or failing these, by the parish priest or the minister; to be appointed the person must be suitable for this role and have the intention of fulfilling it;

2° be not less than sixteen years of age, unless a different age has been stipulated by the diocesan bishop, or unless the parish priest or the minister considers that there is a just reason for an exception to be made;

3° be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has received the blessed Eucharist, and who lives a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken;

4° not labour under a canonical penalty, whether imposed or declared;

5° not be either the father or the mother of the person to be baptized.

§2 A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community may be admitted only in company with a Catholic sponsor, and then simply as a witness to the baptism (canon 874, emphasis added).

Because you are not a Catholic, you cannot agree to help the child’s parents raise this child in the Catholic faith. You can support the Catholic education of your own child, and it is commendable that you are doing so, but you cannot be asked to provide Catholic formation to someone else’s Catholic child. However, because you are a baptized Christian, you *can *serve as a Christian witness to the baptism, alongside a Catholic godparent.