Rules about Godparents?

[sharonlapointe]

Is it allowed to have two women as Godmothers? Or could you even have a man as a Godtather and 3 women as Godmothers (4 Godparents)? Does the church require a man and a woman instead? Is it limited to only 2 Godparents?

 

[Trishie]

May I give you this link with answers to many questions regarding godparents:
catholicdoors.com/faq/qu81.htm
It includes:
Q. 1. How many Godparents can there be during the Sacrament of Baptism?

A. 1. According to the Instructions of the Catholic Church, “One Sponsor, male or female, is sufficient; but there may be two, one of each sex.” [Canon Law # 873] No one can have more than two Godparents, nor can anyone have two Godparents of the same sex.

May God abundantly bless you and your family.
Kind wishes,
Trishie

 

[1ke]

Is it allowed to have two women as Godmothers? Or could you even have a man as a Godtather and 3 women as Godmothers (4 Godparents)?

No and no.

Does the church require a man and a woman instead?

If there are two, yes they are to be of opposite sex. There can be one sponsor.

Is it limited to only 2 Godparents?

Yes.

vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P2Y.HTM

Please note, before anyone posts on here that they had 4 godparents, 2 godmothers, non-Catholic godparents etc, that the fact is they did not.

There are up to two canonical sponsors who must be Catholics. One of the two may be a Christian witness who is not Catholic, but only together with a Catholic sponsor. Any extraneous “godparents” were merely bestowed with such a title by the parents, they were not in fact actual sponsors.

That doesn’t mean that there is a limit to the number of people who can be “godparently” towards the child by helping them grow in faith. I am not my niece’s godmother but I give her religious gifts and help her grow in her faith.

 

[Bookcat]

Correct – one cannot.

Of great importance too is finding someone who lives their Faith -who is qualified for the role (those are the most important requirements) I note this for in our society some can be tempted to just pick a family member (as an kind of honor)…instead of seek out the right persons for this very important role.