Godparent of Non-Catholic?

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bmwojcik

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I was approached by a couple to become the godfather to their daughter (what an honor!). However, I told them that I would get back to them because I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to be the child’s godfather because I am Catholic and they are Episicopalian. Some guidance would be helpful… Thank you.
 
I believe you can be the Godparent…I know a non-Catholic can not be the Godparent of a Catholic.
 
Actually, I was taught in RCIA that if at least one godparent is Catholic then the other one could be a non-Catholic as long as they were baptised.
 
me = catholic, my Goddaughter and her parents = Lutheran.

no problems when I asked my parish priest and their minister.
Frankly, no one seemed to really give a hoot.
 
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bmwojcik:
I was approached by a couple to become the godfather to their daughter (what an honor!). However, I told them that I would get back to them because I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to be the child’s godfather because I am Catholic and they are Episicopalian. Some guidance would be helpful… Thank you.
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You cannot be a Godparent to a non-Catholic. You could be a witness. You would be standing up and stating you will help raise the child in the Episcopalian faith when you (a) are not an Episcopalian and (b) their religion lacks the full truth of the Catholic Church.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is misinformed. Canon Law 874, paragraph 2 stipulates a non-Catholic may not be a sponsor for a Catholic. This implies the role of sponsor is only proper to one who shares the faith of the one being baptized. If it did not matter, there would not be a Canon against it. Therefore, you can infer that a Catholic should not be a sponsor to a non-Catholic.
 
This implies the role of sponsor is only proper to one who shares the faith of the one being baptized. If it did not matter, there would not be a Canon against it. Therefore, you can infer that a Catholic should not be a sponsor to a non-Catholic.
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I would disagree with you. What it says is that it is not okay for a non-catholic to be a god-parent for a Catholic. The reasoning behind that is that if they truly understood the fullness of the Catholic faith, they would be Catholic. If you are not Catholic, you clearly have chosen to not put yourself under the Churches authority. That is a problem in helping to raise a Catholic Child.

Whether or not a Catholic can or can not be a God parent of a non catholic is not contained in the canon Law you cited in my opinion.
 
so, am i a Godparent or aren’t I?
I’m catholic, the the parents, child, family and service was lutheran, i stood up there, had the role of Godfather, held the candle, beautiful day, went to 9:00 mass that morning then went right to lutheran church and my name said ‘Godfather’ in the bookley…I took pictures, shook hands… people called me “Godfather”…
is this all a dream? :confused:
 
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MariaG:
The reasoning behind that is that if they truly understood the fullness of the Catholic faith, they would be Catholic. If you are not Catholic, you clearly have chosen to not put yourself under the Churches authority. That is a problem in helping to raise a Catholic Child.
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No, the reasoning behind it is that the sponsor has a specific role in the life of the child-- it is to do all in their power to raise that child in the faith they are being baptized in. A non-Catholic cannot make that promise for a Catholic child and a Catholic cannot make that promise for a non-Catholic child.

You would be standing up at an Episcopal baptism and promising to raise a child in a religion that you (a) are not a member of (and therefore how can you teach it to the child) and (b) know to be false (and therefore are obligated NOT to teach it to the child).
 
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thechrismyster:
so, am i a Godparent or aren’t I?
I’m catholic, the the parents, child, family and service was lutheran, i stood up there, had the role of Godfather, held the candle, beautiful day, went to 9:00 mass that morning then went right to lutheran church and my name said ‘Godfather’ in the bookley…I took pictures, shook hands… people called me “Godfather”…
is this all a dream? :confused:
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First, Lutherans do not have Mass.

As to the baptism, you are describing all the externals. The Sacrament has an serious meaning which you have not made mention of. The Godparent is supposed to assist in the education of the child in their faith. Are you going to teach the child Consubstantiation, Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, or any of the other heretical teachings held by Lutherans??? If you are, then you cannot remain Catholic. They are false beliefs.

People need to consider the actual role of godparent, not the nice pictures and fun at lunch.

No, you cannot be a Godparent to this child. You certainly could be (and were) a witness to the baptism.
 
posted by 1ke
You would be standing up at an Episcopal baptism and promising to raise a child in a religion that you (a) are not a member of (and therefore how can you teach it to the child) and (b) know to be false (and therefore are obligated NOT to teach it to the child).
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Are you promising to help raise the child Episcopal or just to raise the child in the true faith? raise for God? If you had to promise to help raise the child Episcopal I would agree that it would not be possible for a Catholic to do so. But is that what is required in the baptism promises of a Godparent in this case. I read somewhere here a Catholic was a Godparent, but they made it clear to the parents that any faith they taught would be Catholic. The parents agreed.
 
A similar post about this topic is in the “Ask an Apologist” section of the forums. I think the title of the post is “Should I attend a Protestant baptism?” One of the staff apologists states that a Catholic CANNOT serve as godparent for a non-Catholic. They can attend the service, however.
 
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