Well Thomas, what church laws allow and what I have seen and witnessed is everchanging in this vast world.
OLHope;5875336:
In my culture…, the godparent trumps the legal guardian, as one is legally motivated and the other is spiritually assigned…, it is understood that the godparents end up as guardians anyway. It does not mean that people will keep them as legal guardians and I already stressed that. The Godparents must take the reigns ensuring the child’s faith comes to fruition and that they know these people were chosen to be an important addition to their lives.
Re-reading your post, I realize that you were referring to a Godparent “taking the reigns” in terms of the continued spiritual development of the child. When I first read your post, I interpreted it in a broader “legal-guardian” sense. I simply wanted to clarify that there are steps that a parent should take if they also want a godparent to be legal guardian.
Well Thomas, what church laws allow and what I have seen and witnessed is everchanging in this vast world.
Yes, two sisters were asked to be godparents, this I actually witnessed, I have witnessed a boatload of Catholic improprieties/deviances that would make your eyeballs pop out of your head. I think these are miniscule at best.
Last revision I knew of Canon Law was 1983, that’s 26 years of stemming off the rules that I have witnessed. I offer up what I have seen and witnessed. I understand you like to play by the book, but I believe clergy have reasons that they deemed understood for breaking them and making peace continue.
I am well aware that priests differ in how meticulous they are about enforcing canon law and how willing they are to. . .shall we say “creatively apply” those requirements to meet pastoral needs in their parish. Personally, I view this as part of the continuing evolution of our liturgical discipline and practice, which has changed a great deal over the last 2,000 years and will continue to change. Such is life.
I also have pointed out in other threads about this topic that I think the requirements for “Godparents” is a particularly interesting area, because there is the religious role mandated by the Church (technically the role of sponsor, but everyone calls them a Godparent) and there are cultural norms associated with being a Godparent. The pastor has to help bridge these as best he can.
To give an example from my own family - I have a cousin who was baptized in the Catholic Church about 12 years ago. His Catholic uncle from his mom’s family and a non-Catholic aunt from his dad’s family were the “Godparents.” Technically, from a canon law perspective, the Catholic uncle was the sponsor (Goparent) while the non-Catholic aunt was a “Christian witness.” But their role in the ceremony was identical and anyone who saw the Baptism would have simply said “His aunt and his uncle were the two Godparents.” When she goes to his first communion, confirmation, graduation, etc. my cousin will not say “This is my aunt Jane, she was a Christian witness at my baptism.” He will say “This is aunt Jane, she is my Godmother.” So the requirements of canon law may not have much relevance in people’s everyday life. No surprise there.
However, when someone asks a question on CAF, I think it is helpful to give them a “by the book” answer. First, because it helps me learn more about the church’s requirements, which I am interested in. Also, because otherwise I’m not sure what standard to use in answering the question. While it can certainly be helpful to recognize that some priests are more “creative” than others about how they approach the tensions between church law and everyday practice, I don’t think people should go in expecting a lot of variation.
Iona said she is going to talk it out with her church and that is the best guidance she can ask for at this point.
Yes, and it sounds like they have two very good godparents selected who would be acceptable to anyone.
lol