Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrzestnym

15.06.04, 16:11
I have been asked by a close friend in Warszawa to be Godfather for her
little daughter. I am not Polish and I am not Catholic.
It is of course a great honor and I would really like to be able to do it,
but I fear that there might be some problems.
My friend will ask her priest, but if someone out there knows anything about
this, please let me know.
PS Please reply in English
    • Gość: camel Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze IP: *.dip.t-dialin.net 15.06.04, 18:16
      of course you can be (if you are over 18 years old). Nobody will ask you if
      you are catholic or not.
      • lson Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 15.06.04, 18:26
        Thank you for your reply. But I am not sure it is as easy as that. The role of
        the Godfather is to be the child's guardian when it comes to religious
        questions (among other things) so I am almost sure that the church has
        something to say about his faith.
        • Gość: camel Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze IP: *.dip.t-dialin.net 15.06.04, 23:16
          in my case nobody asked about it. I want to church and it was... So I think it
          depends on the priest.

          camel
          • lson Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 10:44
            Thank you for your reply. I hope the priest will be "flexible" ;-).

            Take care
    • hong2 Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 00:54
      Honestly, I doubt you can be a godfather as a non catholic, although some priests may be more
      liberal in that matter. If they see a foreigner, they will certainly ask about your denomination.
      Even if they will not, it is more honest to politely decline the offer of the child's parents. good luck
      • lson Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 10:51
        I fear that you're right. It is of course natural that the Godfather should be
        of the same faith as the child, or rather the child's parents. It should also
        be a person the parents trust.
        Since I belong to a Protestant church, we are interested in the position of the
        Polish church in this case.
        Thanks.
    • Gość: free Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze IP: *.cable.mindspring.com 16.06.04, 05:41
      From what you say it seems that the parents of the child do not take the so called-baptism
      seriously anyway. Otherwise they would not ask a non-Catholic about being a Godfather. So
      what is this sham for? If I were you I would discourage the event all together and explained the
      friends that a baptism must be a result of a conscious decision of every man and that sprinkling
      a child with water has no significance.

      Other that that, sure you can be a Godfather. Everything is negotiable.
      • lson Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 11:00
        I think thay you are out of line saying that the parents of the child does not
        take this seriously. You don't know them and you don't know all the facts.
        We are all aware of the fact that batism is more than wetting the child's head.
        This is a special case, where the parents have asked a person they trust to be
        Godfather for their child. This person is not Catholic, but Protestant. What we
        are interested to know is if the church can accept this, if they can make an
        exception. Seriously, the differences between the Catholic and Protestant
        beliefs are smaller than the importance of chosing the right person for their
        child.
    • soova Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 10:10
      According to Canon 874 para. 1 sub-clause 3 of the Cannonic Law Code only a
      catholic (who in addition already received the sacrament of Confirmation) may
      be a Godfather. Canon 874 provides some additional conditions to become a
      Godfather/mother. It seems that this will rather make you impossible to satisfy
      your friend, because he will be told the same by the priest.

      Anyway, you can always be "a good uncle from US" for the little lady, no matter
      if you are a Godfather or not.:-)

      Regards,
      soova
      • lson Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 11:22
        Thank you, Soova, for your reply. I think this covers what I want to know.
        Thanks a lot.

        And of course you are right, I can still be a good uncle for her even if I'm
        not the Godfather. That's more important.

        But, seemingly in total disregard of what you wrote ;-), we'll still try to
        make this happen. We'll see what the priest has to say about it. Belonging to a
        Protestant church, I feel that the difference in our beliefs are smaller than
        the importance of having the right Godfather. Anyway, we'll see.

        Thanks again.

        • soova Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 11:48
          Please let me know the priest's answer (I'm interested in it). You're right
          saying that differences between the Catholic and the Protestant Church are not
          great, however the mentioned regulations are binding absolutely and catholic
          priests in this case shall be obliged to observe them.

          Regards
          soova
          • lson Re: Can I be Godfather / Czy moge byc ojcem chrze 16.06.04, 12:08
            Sure, I'll keep you posted.

            Of course rules are rules, but sometimes they can be bent. And given the fact
            that rules change, even the so called canonical ones, and new ones appear, I
            don't feel bad about pushing this question. I take it seriously and so does the
            child's parents.
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