Question regarding Catholic Confirmation

DEFTLEFTHAND

Hi, I have a friend who wants her best buddie to sponsor her daughter in a Catholic Confirmation ceremony.

The woman she has asked is a Church of Ireland member. Is this acceptable?


I would think not, but I thought I might ask here for clarification.


Surely the sponsor needs to be a full member of the CC?

Graces7

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Hi, I have a friend who wants her best buddie to sponsor her daughter in a Catholic Confirmation ceremony.

The woman she has asked is a Church of Ireland member. Is this acceptable?


I would think not, but I thought I might ask here for clarification.


Surely the sponsor needs to be a full member of the CC?

Yes indeed. .

http://www.dioceseofkerry.ie/media/uploads/choosing_sponsor.pdf

She needs however to check with the Parish Priest.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

The rules are clearly laid down with three principles.

A. Sufficient maturity to fulfil their function (over 16).

B. A member of the Catholic Church, having received all of the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist).

C. Free from any impediment of law to fulfilling the office of sponsor. This means that a sponsor must be in good standing with the Church (no public dissent, believes in the teachings of the Church, and in full communion with the Church).


This rules out a Non-Catholic by virtue of B. But, from my experience, most sponsors nowadays seem to fail under C anyway.


Your friend should raise it with the class teacher or talk to the local priest. Some may allow it but it's a long shot.

Jellybaby1

Sorry to intrude but what about the other way around? I see lots of mixed religion couples having their children baptised in the CoI. Does the CoI allow RC's and other Christian religions to become Godparents or do they have to be CoI?

Purple Mountain

Who'd know though? !

DEFTLEFTHAND

Srameen has posted the requirments. I will relay this to her.

She asked my advice on this issue and I told her that my opinion was no. It has to be against Church law.


How can you sponsor a child to become a full made member of a Church which you're not apart of.

Jellybaby1

As far as I remember, and its a while since I've been at a baptism, in the CoI the Godparents are asked to ensure the child is brought up in the Christian faith. The 'Church of Ireland' is not mentioned. If I'm wrong, I apologise, but I don't think I am.

Bob_Marley

if it's any help, traditionally one of the godparents is often the sponsor at confirmation

Peregrinus

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Sorry to intrude but what about the other way around? I see lots of mixed religion couples having their children baptised in the CoI. Does the CoI allow RC's and other Christian religions to become Godparents or do they have to be CoI?

Matter for the rector of the parish, I think. I am the (Catholic) godparent to three Anglican children; no issue was raised. Bu t it’s a broad church, so you may find some ministers would take a different view.

Soldah

Germany are 45 percents Catholics and 40 percents Protestants.

Cabaal

Shepherd Blue Rust wrote: »

This rules out a Non-Catholic by virtue of B. But, from my experience, most sponsors nowadays seem to fail under C anyway..

I'd wager well over 98% of people are ruled out on C

Peregrinus

I think you’re being a bit black-and-white there, Cabaal.

The conditions for acting as sponsor for confirmation are the same as for baptism. These are laid down in Canon 847 of the Code of Canon Law. There are five conditions, not three. They are:

1. You have to be chosen by the candidate or their parents (or, failing them, by the parish priest) and you have to have the intention and aptitude of fulfilling the sponsor’s role.

2. You have to be at least 16 (although exceptions are possible for a good reason).

3. You have to have been confirmed yourself, and have received communion, and lead a “life of faith” in keeping with the sponsor’s role.

4. You have to not be under a canonical penalty (e.g. not be excommunicated).

5. You have to not be the father or mother of the candidate.

There’s nothing in the rules about “no public dissent”, etc. The role of sponsor is to help the candidate to lead a Christian life and to fulfil the obligations inherent in such a life (Canon 872). It’s obviously possible to lead a Christian life yourself, and support others in doing so, while having doubts about, or disagreement with, particular church teachings. Whether somebody’s issues with church teachings are of a nature or scale as to prevent them from discharging the sponsor’s role is obviously a matter of judgment, and under Catholic canon law it’s a judgment to be made in the first instance by the candidate and/or their parents.

But, to go back to the question raised by the OP, a member of another denomination can’t be a sponsor, technically speaking, but can be a “Christian witness”, so long as there is a Catholic sponsor. There’s no statement as to what the role of a Christian witness is, but it’s reasonable to infer that it’s the same as the sponsor’s role; to support the candidate in living a Christian life.