Q. May a Catholic be a godparent or witness for a child baptized in another faith, such as the child of two Lutherans?
A. The Church recognizes the importance of a godparent being a member of the same Church or ecclesial community as the child or adult for whom they are serving as a godparent (or sponsor). This is because godparents take on the responsibility for assisting the Christian education of the person being baptized.
As such, they could find themselves in a difficult situation regarding fidelity to their own beliefs and assisting their godchild in living out theirs, such as, in the case of a Lutheran child, trying to reconcile the reality of the Real Presence in the Eucharist with the Lutheran understanding of consubstantiation. It is for this reason that non-Catholics are not permitted to be godparents of Catholics but may stand as Christian Witnesses, so long as there is a Catholic godparent.
The same rule is applied to Catholics in that Catholics should not be a godparent of a non-Catholic child but may stand as a Witness for a close family member or friend who is baptized in a Christian ecclesial community. (Ecumenical Directory n. 98a)
The exception to this is an Eastern Orthodox Christian, who may be a godparent to a Catholic child, so long as the other godparent is Catholic. A Catholic can stand as a godparent for an Eastern Orthodox child, so long as the other godparent is Eastern Orthodox.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, vice chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
