Christening

galwayfreak

Hi a simple question please it may appear obvious to some but I genuinely don’t know.

I have a friend living in the UK and she has just let me know she is expecting. She has asked me to be god father to her child.

thing is I am a rc ( non practicing but rc none the less ) and the child will be church of England .

Can I stand for the child?

ubertrad

galwayfreak wrote: »

Hi a simple question please it may appear obvious to some but I genuinely don’t know.

I have a friend living in the UK and she has just let me know she is expecting. She has asked me to be god father to her child.

thing is I am a rc ( non practicing but rc none the less ) and the child will be church of England .

Can I stand for the child?

No you can't. I can't provide any official reference for that , but since you are a Catholic, by standing as God-parent for an Anglican child, you would be witnessing to the validity of the Anglican faith, which as a Catholic you can't (or shouldn't) do. I might just go and ask on a Catholic forum and I shall let you know the reply.

PDN

galwayfreak wrote: »

Hi a simple question please it may appear obvious to some but I genuinely don’t know.

I have a friend living in the UK and she has just let me know she is expecting. She has asked me to be god father to her child.

thing is I am a rc ( non practicing but rc none the less ) and the child will be church of England .

Can I stand for the child?

Get your friend to ask the vicar over there if it's ok. However, as a God parent you are promising to watch out for the spiritual welfare of the child. Can you do that honestly if you are non-practicing to the extent that you don't attend a place of worship?

galwayfreak

ubertrad wrote: »

I might just go and ask on a Catholic forum and I shall let you know the reply.

i appreciate that thanks

PDN wrote: »

Get your friend to ask the vicar over there if it's ok. However, as a God parent you are promising to watch out for the spiritual welfare of the child. Can you do that honestly if you are non-practicing to the extent that you don't attend a place of worship?

i live as a good catholic i just don't go to mass. i do understand the whole concept of being a god father as i already am one to my nephew. i have asked for her to check it out as i still live my life by the rc rules so i dont want to go wrong if u know what i mean.

ubertrad

Check this out:

The Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism (98) says:

It is the Catholic understanding that godparents, in a liturgical and canonical sense, should themselves be members of the Church or ecclesial Community in which the baptism is being celebrated. They do not merely undertake a responsibility for the Christian education of the person being baptized (or confirmed) as a relation or friend; they are also there as representatives of a community of faith, standing as guarantees of the candidate's faith and desire for ecclesial communion.

a) However, based on the common baptism and because of ties of blood or friendship, a baptized person who belongs to another ecclesial Community may be admitted as a witness to the baptism, but only together with a Catholic godparent.[107] A Catholic may do the same for a person being baptized in another ecclesial Community.

b) Because of the close communion between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, it is permissible for a just cause for an Eastern faithful to act as godparent; together with a Catholic godparent, at the baptism of a Catholic infant or adult, so long as there is provision for the Catholic education of the person being baptized, and it is clear that the godparent is a suitable one.

A Catholic is not forbidden to stand as godparent in an Eastern Orthodox Church, if he/she is so invited. In this case, the duty of providing for the Christian education binds in the first place the godparent who belongs to the Church in which the child is baptized.

Manach

Offhand, of equal importance is to have an excellent memory for birthdays and deep pockets (though shopping for something called Iggle Piggle might be above and beyond) .

ubertrad

Manach wrote: »

Offhand, of equal importance is to have an excellent memory for birthdays and deep pockets (though shopping for something called Iggle Piggle might be above and beyond) .

I'd say the best things can't be bought. A good example of Christian living, the genuine interest and concern for the person, and the right kinds of gifts at the opportune times (New Testament at Confirmation time, sound advice etc...), would be much more important in my view than the latest Nintendo DS!

Manach

I partially disagree. ARAIR a recent sermon at mass mentioned the phrase, "to be in the World but not of the World".
To me that means a requirement to fully engage with everyday life but retaining a runnable thread of religous identity.
For the actual instance of Godfathering duties, that means a balance between having a care for the child's rearing and having a light but steady influence in relgious matters, such a purchasing the occasional toddler book from Veritas.

georgieporgy

ubertrad wrote: »

No you can't. I can't provide any official reference for that , but since you are a Catholic, by standing as God-parent for an Anglican child, you would be witnessing to the validity of the Anglican faith, which as a Catholic you can't (or shouldn't) do. I might just go and ask on a Catholic forum and I shall let you know the reply.

Edit: This is bad advice. Check post #5 below!

I think you misread the highlighted bit in post 5. A catholic may act as a witness to baptism in another ecclesiastical community but not be a godparent. you were right the first time .......

ubertrad

Manach wrote: »

I partially disagree. ARAIR a recent sermon at mass mentioned the phrase, "to be in the World but not of the World".
To me that means a requirement to fully engage with everyday life but retaining a runnable thread of religous identity.
For the actual instance of Godfathering duties, that means a balance between having a care for the child's rearing and having a light but steady influence in relgious matters, such a purchasing the occasional toddler book from Veritas.

If I mostly agree with your post, above, does that mean you still disagree with my previous post?:p

hivizman

Here's a link to the Church of England's official website on the duties of godparents.

Godparents must be baptized as Christians and should be confirmed as well (although this is not an absolute requirement, and can be waived with the agreement of the priest responsible for the baptism). From the Church of England angle, there is no reason why a Roman Catholic who is able to make the various commitments set out in the liturgy (basically, to pray for the godchild, to care for the godchild and help him or her to take their place within the life and worship of Christ's Church, to reject the devil and all rebellion against God, to renounce the deceit and corruption of evil, to repent of one's sins, and to turn to Christ as Saviour and submit to Christ as Lord) should not be a godparent. The Church of England view is that baptism means becoming a member of the "Church" in its widest sense, not in the narrow sense of becoming a member merely of the "Church of England", so from the Church of England's viewpoint it is by no means impossible for a Roman Catholic to make such commitments with a good conscience.

But, as a godfather of four godsons and one goddaughter, I can confirm that it's still vital to remember birthdays and Christmas!

ubertrad

georgieporgy wrote: »

I think you misread the highlighted bit in post 5. A catholic may act as a witness to baptism in another ecclesiastical community but not be a godparent. you were right the first time .......

*sigh*

I should probably just go to bed now.

Thanks georgie. You know, I assumed I was right the first time - it was my gut response. Then I posted on a Catholic forum to be sure, got their answer, didn't read it properly (or fully) and posted a 'correction' here...

To the OP: sorry - I was right the first time! You can't be a God-parent for an Anglican child if you are a Catholic.

hivizman

ubertrad wrote: »

To the OP: sorry - I was right the first time! You can't be a God-parent for an Anglican child if you are a Catholic.

The Roman Catholic position is that even if you shouldn't be a godparent in respect of someone being baptized in another "ecclesial community" (such as the CoE), you can be a "witness". The Anglican churches do not recognise this in-between status, and as far as they are concerned, there is therefore no difference between a "witness" and a godparent. So from the CoE viewpoint, if you are baptized (preferably confirmed) in a Christian Church and can make the required commitments, you can be a godparent.

galwayfreak

i'm still lost. what i am making out from this . the coe will have no problem but i cannot do it as the rc wont let me do it . am i right or wrong

thanks u to all ur responses

ubertrad

galwayfreak wrote: »

i'm still lost. what i am making out from this . the coe will have no problem but i cannot do it as the rc wont let me do it . am i right or wrong

thanks u to all ur responses

As far as the Catholic faith is concerned, you cannot be a God-parent to an Anglican (CoE) child. You can be a witness to the baptism, but not a God-parent.

Sorry for the confusion earlier. I was the cause of that.

TravelJunkie

galwayfreak wrote: »

Hi a simple question please it may appear obvious to some but I genuinely don’t know.

I have a friend living in the UK and she has just let me know she is expecting. She has asked me to be god father to her child.

thing is I am a rc ( non practicing but rc none the less ) and the child will be church of England .

Can I stand for the child?

Don't stress about it. If the Parish priest in the UK says it's okay, then it's okay.

We're all christians, right?

Anyway, even if you're not practising, the fact that you've taken enough interest to come post here - means you have done more than a lot of god parents out there.

Perhaps this is a good opportunity for you and the child to learn more about God together!

best,
TJ

PDN

galwayfreak wrote: »

i'm still lost. what i am making out from this . the coe will have no problem but i cannot do it as the rc wont let me do it . am i right or wrong

Speaking as a non-Catholic myself, I honestly don't see why that should stop you.

You've said you don't go to mass - so disobeying the RCC is obviously not that big a deal for you. Wouldn't it be ok in your view to ignore them on this issue too?

georgieporgy

galwayfreak wrote: »

i'm still lost. what i am making out from this . the coe will have no problem but i cannot do it as the rc wont let me do it . am i right or wrong

thanks u to all ur responses

That's it. You've got it right. The COE don't care what you do but your own church does. Lots of people fail to attend Mass regularly at different times in their lives for various reasons. That doesn't mean they then want to go out and break every rule in the book.

If you tell your friend you are quite willing to participate in the ceremony as a family friend and wittness but can't actually be an official godparent as your own religion forbids that I'm sure she would be happy with that.

PDN

georgieporgy wrote: »

That's it. You've got it right. The COE don't care what you do but your own church does. Lots of people fail to attend Mass regularly at different times in their lives for various reasons. That doesn't mean they then want to go out and break every rule in the book.

If you tell your friend you are quite willing to participate in the ceremony as a family friend and wittness but can't actually be an official godparent as your own religion forbids that I'm sure she would be happy with that.

Georgie, you make it sound like missing mass is a fairly light thing, but that to act as a Godparent for someone who belongs to a different Christian denomination is to go down the road of breaking every rule in the book.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the RCC teach that missing mass is a mortal sin?

I'm not trying to offend or belittle anyone's beliefs here, but it seems to me that if the OP is willing to commit a mortal sin by never attending mass then being nice to a friend and standing as a godparent in a Church of England is hardly a big deal.

ubertrad

PDN wrote: »

Georgie, you make it sound like missing mass is a fairly light thing, but that to act as a Godparent for someone who belongs to a different Christian denomination is to go down the road of breaking every rule in the book.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the RCC teach that missing mass is a mortal sin?

I'm not trying to offend or belittle anyone's beliefs here, but it seems to me that if the OP is willing to commit a mortal sin by never attending mass then being nice to a friend and standing as a godparent in a Church of England is hardly a big deal.

You shouldn't incite a Catholic to commit a sin by going against any of the precepts of their faith. The OP is only one good confession away from being restored to full communion with his/her Church.

JimiTime

galwayfreak wrote: »

Hi a simple question please it may appear obvious to some but I genuinely don’t know.

I have a friend living in the UK and she has just let me know she is expecting. She has asked me to be god father to her child.

thing is I am a rc ( non practicing but rc none the less ) and the child will be church of England .

Can I stand for the child?

Why don't you see what it is you actually are first? Not trying to be contentious, but why not investigate what it is you actually believe? Treat the root not the symptom IMO.

My own personal opinion on these matters is that its all religiosity and nothing to do with Christianity. As far as I'm aware with God parenthood in the RCC, you say that you will raise the kids as RC's if needs be. If its the same in the CoE, then would you be willing to do that? If not, would you be willing to lie by saying you would? I have no denominational affiliation, but I certainly could not commit to the promises of this god-parent malarkey.

georgieporgy

PDN wrote: »

Georgie, you make it sound like missing mass is a fairly light thing, but that to act as a Godparent for someone who belongs to a different Christian denomination is to go down the road of breaking every rule in the book.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the RCC teach that missing mass is a mortal sin?

I'm not trying to offend or belittle anyone's beliefs here, but it seems to me that if the OP is willing to commit a mortal sin by never attending mass then being nice to a friend and standing as a godparent in a Church of England is hardly a big deal.

PDN, remember, you are a protestant, and as such do not fully understand the nature of catholicism. Though I'm sure your intentions are noble, you are not the best person to advise a catholic on what his church teaches. You yourself don't comprehend it and your suggestions receive applause from other non catholics.

We don't know the OP's reasons for non attendence at the Sacrifice of the Mass. Objectively it is indeed a grave sin(mortal) of omission but is only mortal if the subjective conditions for a sin to be mortal exist. Our church is full of sinners and every day is a spiritual struggle against our weaknesses and temptation. We don't have the luxury of sitting back and saying "I'm saved!" and then taking things easy. We tend to worry about our enemy who never sleeps and goes around like a roaring lion looking for an opportunity to devour us.
Luckily we have all seven sacraments available to us and we don't squander spiritual treasures given us by Our Lord.

galwayfreak

i have my own reason for not going to mass with i dont want shared . ( think what u will but my reasons are my reasons ) apart from mass and i go occasionally when i fell like i need to for my self ( spiritual guidance ) i go and usually i pick on something on the sermon. the problem in my life and it directs me to my answer

but i still live my life like the way i was brought up and and taught . and for that reason i still call my self a catholic .

i dont want to do something in my eyes that will hurt me in the future with the one who will judge. so that is why i ask if its ok to do it .

i dont understand why mass is the big issue here . i just need to know if i am going against my church but standing for another

and i still thank all for and against as i am getting an education on my faith

Fanny Cradock

georgieporgy wrote: »

PDN, remember, you are a protestant, and as such do not fully understand the nature of catholicism. Though I'm sure your intentions are noble, you are not the best person to advise a catholic on what his church teaches. You yourself don't comprehend it and your suggestions receive applause from other non catholics.

Anybody from a Hindu to an atheist to a Pentecostal minister can grasp Catholic doctrine with sufficient study. Let's not pretend otherwise, or that this has anything to do with an illusory attempt at anti-Catholic one-upmanship.

JimiTime

galwayfreak wrote: »

and i still thank all for and against as i am getting an education on my faith

This was my point earlier. Educate yourself in the Lord, and take it from there.