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Carlos Rostro wrote: |
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Hi, guys —
- Can a person be a godparent to a person's child, even if they are their child's godparent?
For clarification, I have a friend who's the godparent to her sister’s child, but my friend is wondering if her sister can also be her child's godparent.
Carlos Rostro
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| { Can a person be a godparent to a person's child, even if they are their child's godparent? } |
Eric replied:
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I'm not sure I follow entirely.
This is what canon law lays out about godparents ("sponsors"):
Canon 873† — There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.
Canon 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.
— §2.† A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.
Code of Canon Law: New English Translation (Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of America, 1998), p. 287 |
- I *think* you are asking if person X is a godparent to person Y's child, YY, can person Y be godparent to person X's child, XX?
The answer is, there is nothing thereby prohibiting them from doing so, if they meet all the other requirements. Whether X and Y are siblings is immaterial.
Eric
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Bob replied:
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Carlos,
The answer is, No.
The whole point of a “godparent” is someone who takes on the responsibility of a Catholic upbringing in case of the loss of the parents.
A parent already has a responsibility to educate the child, so they can’t be their own replacement if they die; it logically makes no sense.
Peace,
Bob Kirby
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