Frequently Asked Questions
about
THE QUALIFICATION REQUIRED
TO BE A GODPARENT
Q. 1. To qualify as Godparent, does the person have to meet certain requirements?
A. 1. Yes! Not everyone qualifies to be a Godparent. The Catholic Church provides a detailed guideline that must be obeyed. "To be admitted to undertake the office of Sponsor, a person must:" [Canon Law # 874.1]
a. "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;" [Canon Law # 874.1.1]
b. "be not less than 16 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;" [Canon Law # 874.1.2]
c. "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;" [Canon Law # 874.1.3]
d. "not labour under a canonical penalty, whether imposed or declared;" [Canon Law # 874.1.4]
e. "not be either the father or the mother of the person to be baptised." [Canon Law # 874.1.5]
f. "A baptised 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." [Canon Law # 874.2]
Q. 2. Is there any regulations that disqualifies a person as a Godparent?
A. 2. Yes, what follows is a list of personal characteristics that disqualify a person as a Godparent:
a. the person has no intention of fulfilling his obligations as a Godparent.
b. the person is younger than the age that has been stipulated by the diocesan Bishop, usually age 16.
c. the person is not a Catholic.
d. the person has not received the Sacrament of Baptism in the Catholic faith.
e. the person has not received the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Catholic faith.
f. the person has not received the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in the Catholic faith.
g. the person is not living his faith in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church. (Example: The person has not been at Mass for 2, 5 or 10 years. The person employs birth control methods.)
h. the person belongs to a religious Order (preventing him/her from making this commitment).
i. the person is the spouse of the one seeking Baptism.
j. the person is a biological or adoptive father or mother of the child.
k. the person has incurred an official excommunication or "latae sententiae," by the very commission of the offense. (Example: involved in one or more abortions.)
l. the person is a member of a condemned society.
m. the person is a public sinner. (Example: Prostitution, living common-law.)
n. the person is a heretic. "Heresy is the obstinate post- baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same." [Canon Law # 2089]
o. the person belongs to a schism. "Schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him." [Canon Law # 2089]
p. the person is involved in a mix-marriage and believes his/her children should choose their own religion when they grow up.
q. the person believes that all religions are equal or that other religions are equal to the Catholic Church.
r. the person is involved in an invalid marriage. (Example: Justice of the Peace, marriage outside the Church.)
s. the person is not registered with a parish, not belonging to any specific faith community.
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