Godfather

[JoeKraus22]

My Brother and I were having a debate, that a Godfather or mother had to be Catholic.
I was sure that when I became Godfather to my neice The responibilites were to guide her in learning and living Catholic.

 

[FrDavid96]

My Brother and I were having a debate, that a Godfather or mother had to be Catholic.
I was sure that when I became Godfather to my neice The responibilites were to guide her in learning and living Catholic.

Yes, a Godfather (or mother) has to be Catholic.

The reason is twofold:

1. A Godparent is also a sponsor (either word works). A sponsor is someone who “vouches” for someone else to join that group–in this case the Church. In order to sponsor someone else (baby) to join the Church, the sponsor has to first be a member of the Church. Example, the only way I can “sponsor” a new member to the Raccoon Lodge would be if I’m already a Raccoon to begin with. If I’m not a member myself, I can’t possibly sponsor someone else to join. If I’m a member of the Ruskrat Lodge that doesn’t mean I can sponsor a friend to become a Raccoon. So a non-Catholic cannot sponsor someone else to become a Catholic.
2. Since, as you said, the responsibilities of a Godparent are to “guide her in learning and living Catholic” it stands to reason that the Godparent must first be a practical Catholic. In philosophy, we say “you can’t give what you don’t have.” If the sponsor doesn’t “have” Catholicism, then the sponsor can’t be expected to “give” Catholicism to the baby.

Because of the special closeness we have with the Orthodox, one Orthodox Godparent is allowed along with one Catholic one. But no other Christians (or non-Christians) can ever be Godparents to Catholics.

 

[Spirithound]

My Brother and I were having a debate, that a Godfather or mother had to be Catholic.
I was sure that when I became Godfather to my neice The responibilites were to guide her in learning and living Catholic.

Yes, a Godfather or Godmother must be Catholic. A person must have one or two Godparents at their Catholic baptism. If only one Godparent is chosen, a non-Catholic Christian may be chosen as a Christian witness.

 

[ThatOneDudeAlex]

Because of the special closeness we have with the Orthodox, one Orthodox Godparent is allowed along with one Catholic one. But no other Christians (or non-Christians) can ever be Godparents to Catholics.

My sister’s Godmother is Methodist. The church was fully aware of this at time of Baptism, too. They said as long as both Godparents were Christian, only one had to be Catholic. Does this not stand true?

 

[puzzleannie]

My Brother and I were having a debate, that a Godfather or mother had to be Catholic.
I was sure that when I became Godfather to my neice The responibilites were to guide her in learning and living Catholic.

why are you debating something that can easily be settled simply by referencing canon law on the topic? look on the sacraments forum, there are several threads on the requirements for sponsors and godparents, and yes, they have to be fully initiated Catholics (all their sacraments) and living according to Catholic teaching including church laws on marriage.

 

[puzzleannie]

My sister’s Godmother is Methodist. The church was fully aware of this at time of Baptism, too. They said as long as both Godparents were Christian, only one had to be Catholic. Does this not stand true?

the Methodist party served as a Christian witness, not as a godmother, and that should be how she is listed in the sacramental record. Only one Catholic godparent or sponsor is needed.

 

[kamaan]

1983 Canon Law:

1983 Canon 874 §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 labor 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.**

And, in case anyone was interested, the 1917 Law:

1917 Canon 765 In order that a person may act validly as sponsor, the following rules apply:

1° He must be baptized, have attained the use of reason and have the intention of discharging that office;

2° He must not belong to an heretical or schismatic sect, nor have been excommunicated by a condemnatory or declara*tory sentence, nor suffer from infamy of law, nor be excluded from legal acts, nor have been deposed or degraded from the clerical rank;

3° The father or mother or spouse of the person to be baptized cannot be sponsor;

4° He must be designated either by the person to be bap*tized or by the parents or guardians, or in their default by the minister of baptism;

5° The sponsor must, either in person or through proxy, physically hold or touch the one baptized, or receive him im*mediately after baptism from the sacred font or from the hands of the minister.

1917 Canon 766 For licit admission as sponsor, the following conditions must be observed:

1° The sponsor must be fourteen years of age, unless for a just reason the minister admits younger persons;

2° The sponsor must not be under excommunication, nor excluded from legal acts, nor suffer from infamy of law for reason of a notorious crime, even though no sentence was pro*nounced against him, nor must he be under an interdict, or otherwise a public criminal, or disgraced by infamy of fact;

3°The sponsor must know the rudiments of the faith;

4° The sponsor must not be a novice or professed member in any religious organization, unless there is nobody else to be had and the permission is granted by at least the local superior;

5° The sponsor must not be a cleric in sacred orders, unless he has the explicit permission of his proper Ordinary.

 

[FrDavid96]

My sister’s Godmother is Methodist. The church was fully aware of this at time of Baptism, too. They said as long as both Godparents were Christian, only one had to be Catholic. Does this not stand true?

No, it’s not true. Either someone gave you misinformation or there’s some other misunderstanding. It’s simply not possible for a Methodist to be a Godparent for a Catholic. That’s why I can respond here from a distance without knowing the particulars, it’s not just a matter of unlikely or permission is needed, but a matter of being impossible.

Her actual role is as a “Christian Witness” to the baptism. That role means that if there is ever a question as to whether-or-not the baptism occurred, she can certify that it did indeed happen (like lost records or such).

 

[Phemie]

No, it’s not true. Either someone gave you misinformation or there’s some other misunderstanding. It’s simply not possible for a Methodist to be a Godparent for a Catholic. That’s why I can respond here from a distance without knowing the particulars, it’s not just a matter of unlikely or permission is needed, but a matter of being impossible.

Her actual role is as a “Christian Witness” to the baptism. That role means that if there is ever a question as to whether-or-not the baptism occurred, she can certify that it did indeed happen (like lost records or such).

In my experience that has rarely been explained to the parents or they have not understood.

Our last was baptized in 1984 and when we approached the Padre to see if our son’s uncle, a member of the United Church of Canada, could be his godfather since we’d heard that now ‘a godparent didn’t have to be Catholic’, he said yes. There was no explanation, no redefinition. It was 13 years later, when I started to work in a parish and came across the term Christian Witness and read up on it that I found out that our son only had a godmother.

When I started on the parish’s baptismal preparation team I quickly discovered that that distinction was never explained to the parents.

Things I found out:

1. Some priests never asked the sponsor’s religion, resulting in some children with no godparents but two CWs. What hard feelings that created when the parents were later told that their second child HAD to have a Catholic! It took almost 5 years before they presented him for baptism again and that only after I posted the relevant canon in the Sunday bulletin.
2. Christian witnesses are entered in the registers as godparents and no distinction made on the certificate. Although I did find out that in the former cathedral parish they don’t list the Christian witness on the certificate.
3. Because priests didn’t bother to ask the appropriate question, some Christian witnesses are no such thing since the are Salvation Army, non-Christians by definition.

The bottom line is that no matter how you explain it, to the parents that Christian witness is the “Godfather” and no amount of what they consider semantics is going to make them refer to him as anything else.