The Code of Canon Law requires godparents for infant baptism “insofar as possible” (CIC 872); they are not an absolute requirement for valid baptism. 867-868; Catechism of the Catholic Church 1251) ... and there is no law barring the use of proxies by godparents at either baptism or confirmation. Canon 872. Basic Guidelines and Information for Infant (to include young children) Baptism (Code of Canon Law, cc. Your brother and his wife do not qualify because of their irregular marriage. Canon 873 Intimately linked to Confirmation and to Eucharist, Baptism is, with these two sacraments, Christian Initiation. If married, they must be validly married in the Catholic Church. A parent may not be the godparent of his or her own child, and anyone bound by a canonical penalty may not serve as a godparent. Father Van Sloun is pastor of St. Bartholomew in Wayzata. Additionally, canon law states that a baptized person from a different Christian denomination may only serve as a witness and not as a godparent. Here are the basic requirements for eligibility, in accord with Canon 872-875 of the Code of Canon Law: A Godparent must be a Roman Catholic who has received the three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion. The prerequisites of a sponsor (godparent) for an infant baptism are the same as for an adult (see Canon Law sidebar). To be a godparent, a person must be one “who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on” (CIC 874 §1). CANONICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR BAPTISM SPONSORS (GODPARENTS) The Code of Canon Law (1983) of the Roman Catholic Church requires that: 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 a sponsor a person must: [Canon Law # 874.2] Q. The law does not require that the child be given a saints name but forbids a name that would be offensive to Christians (Pastoral Companion for Canon Law 51). Parents, sponsors, and the pastor are to take care that a name foreign to Christian sensibility is not given (Canon 855). [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." — C.L., Potomac, Maryland. 2. How do parents choose a name for Baptism? A. B. 2. Canon law doesn't seem to prohibit consecrated people from becoming godparents. Insofar as possible, one to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who is to assist an adult in Christian initiation, or, together with the parents, to present an infant at the baptism, and who will help the baptized to lead a Christian life in harmony with the baptism, and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it. A: There was a general restriction on priests, religious and other consecrated souls acting as godparents that stemmed from the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Canon law allows the use of proxies in the exchange of matrimonial consent, for example, and one could argue that confession is made by proxy when a person confesses through a translator–something else canon law also explicitly envisions. Is there any regulations that disqualifies a person as a Godparent? The child is baptized in the faith of their parents, godparents and of the Church. The Code of Canon Law (c. 874§2) allows the participation of “a baptized member of a non-Catholic ecclesial community” but only “together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.” Thus, there is a distinction between a godparent and a Christian witness. While adults seeking baptism can select their godparents, such responsibility rests with the parents of the infant. 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