Priest says that we can’t pick my daughters godfather....?

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irishtexan

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Just curious here. We chose my step daughters now ex step father to be her godfather. Confusing I know. He was her biological mother’s 2nd husband, and they’re now divorced. Father says that we must chose a godparent from the congregation. We don’t even know these people. My stepdaughter’s ex step father is catholic, so that’s not the issue.
 
It could be because of the divorce. Ideally, a Godparent is someone who is strong in the faith that will help be a spiritual parent to the child. The fact that there was a divorce could be a sign that he is not true to his faith and that he doesn’t take our religion seriously. Catholics are not permitted to divorce.
 
irishtexan said:
Father says that we must chose a godparent from the congregation.
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This isn’t correct.

Parents may choose the godparents and they do NOT need to be from your parish. Your pastor is trying to impose where he does not have the authority to do so.

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.
 
Hawkeye916 said:
Catholics are not permitted to divorce.
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Catholics are not permitted to remarry after divorce unless their prior marriage is found to be null. There certainly are situations where divorce is permitted.

And since his wife is now married to the OP, it seems that marriage was not valid.

The pastor did not indicate the OP’s choice did not meet the criteria for a sponsor but rather that they had to choose someone from their parish— which is not correct.
 
If you knew my husband’s ex wife, you’d agree that divorce was necessary. Not to mention, my husband was a Catholic nor was she when they married.
 
No. He doesn’t feel it needs to be as her terrible activities during the marriage.
 
I’ve also not heard of a restriction that the godparent must be “from the congregation”. My own godparents were an uncle and aunt, who were Catholics from out of state, so obviously not from our congregation. I know many other Catholics who have relatives or friends participate as godparents, but the relatives or friends are not from the parish where the baptism is taking place.
 
Hawkeye916 said:
Was the marriage annulled by the church?
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Why are you asking the OP for all this personal information? 1ke already provided the answer to the question. This stuff is irrelevant right now in view of the pastor’s reasoning.

If the issue the pastor is having is that the person is not a Catholic in good standing, or he suspects that to be the case, he has to discuss that with the OP, and he’s in the best position to do so. He can’t simply say they have to pick someone from the congregation. That would leave out any relative or friend they had who was the best Catholic on record, but not “from the congregation”.
 
I’d say that all of that makes a case for an annulment. But it’s a matter of getting that squared away before marrying again. Because unless the marriage was annulled by the Catholic Church, then…

"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Luke 16:18

But I don’t know the entirety of your situation.
 
Hawkeye916 said:
I’d say that all of that makes a case for an annulment. But it’s a matter of getting that squared away before marrying again. Because unless the marriage was annulled by the Catholic Church, then…

"Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” Luke 16:18

But I don’t know the entirety of your situation.
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Again - this has nothing to do with the pastor’s response.
 
My godmother is my cousin that is Greek Orthodox. She even offered to be her godmother. Our priest said no to her as well… I’m so baffled by his reasoning.
 
So… then why am I permitted to keep her as my godmother as is my son his?
 
irishtexan said:
So… if the ex wife commits adulterous activities, steals all of the money for drugs, has multiple abortions because she’s pregnant with the other men’s children ext Rome would say “yep, you’re a divorcing piece of garbage”?
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Of course not. 1ke already posted that it’s not correct to say that Catholics aren’t permitted to divorce.
 
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