Article II: On Sponsors and Spiritual Relationship

— Notion of Sponsor. To him who is reborn in this sacrament of baptism there is given, as though another spiritual father, a godfather or godmother. Therefore these contract, of themselves, a grave obligation, after the parents and during the spiritual infancy of him whom they have taken from the font, that is, until he has been sufficiently instructed in Christian faith and morals, of procuring, by themselves or through others, insofar as they can, his Christian instruction, "so that in his whole life he may show himself such as they promised by solemn ceremony that he would be." Nor does spiritual solicitude cease after instruction has been finished. For "it belongs to sponsors, from the function undertaken, to have their spiritual child perpetually commended to themselves" (c. 769).

The guilt of sponsors is grave if, when they themselves can provide, the child is left destitute of spiritual aids.

But because they are bound secondarily, if the child is raised among Catholics who care for religion, they can presume the sufficient care and diligence of the parents.

— Conditions of Value. "That someone be a sponsor, it is necessary: 1. that he be baptized, have attained use of reason, and have the intention of carrying out that function; 2. that he belong to no heretical or schismatic sect, nor by condemnatory or declaratory sentence be excommunicated or infamous by infamy of law, or excluded from legitimate acts, nor be a cleric deposed or degraded; 3. that he be neither father nor mother nor spouse of the one to be baptized; 4. that he be designated by the one to be baptized himself, or by his parents or guardians, or, these failing, by the minister; 5. that in the act of baptism he, by himself or through a procurator, physically hold or touch the one to be baptized, or immediately raise or receive him from the sacred font or from the hands of the baptizer" (c. 765).

In Portugal the Blessed Virgin Mary is given as godmother to not a few infants; and then an honorable woman, who touches the infant with an object referable to the Blessed Virgin Mary, acts in her place in baptism. Here is an example of the testimony of baptism so conferred: "The sponsors were Paul Alves, married, and Our Lady, whose crown Gertrude Pereira touched to the little boy." It is clear that the Blessed Virgin Mary is not godmother except in a metaphorical sense, insofar as the infant is commended by pious parents peculiarly to her protection; and then one sponsor properly so called remains, the one with whom the Blessed Virgin Mary is associated.

Therefore those are kept away who by nature or by law are judged unfit, or who already by another title, as parents, must bear care of the one to be baptized.

The very spiritual relationship which he would contract keeps away the spouse of the one to be baptized. By the incapacity of heretics who have given their name to a sect, the question is suppressed whether or not they sometimes can be admitted. They are not prohibited from being present as witnesses.

Of itself it is required that the sponsor raise the baptized person from the font and thus acknowledge him as his own, in a similar manner to that by which a man, by receiving the infant of his wife, formerly professed him as his own.

Therefore that manner will have been more perfect in itself, that he immediately and directly raise the baptized person from the font or from the hands of the baptizer or of the person who was carrying the infant during baptism. Yet he is morally judged also to raise if, in the act of baptism, he touched the infant by a hand placed upon or under him, not merely momentarily with the tips of the fingers. Designation made by a competent person is also necessary. If they disagree among themselves concerning the person, the option of him who is named first in the Code as designating seems to prevail.

Legitimate ecclesiastical acts are acts of various kinds which in the ecclesiastical forum produce juridical effects and suppose or confer some commendation of the person: thus to administer ecclesiastical goods, to act as judge..., to perform the function of sponsor, to cast a vote in ecclesiastical elections, to exercise the right of patronage. They are numbered in c. 2256, §2.

— Conditions of Liceity. "But that someone be licitly admitted as sponsor, it is necessary: 1. that he have reached the fourteenth year of his age, unless otherwise seems right to the minister for a just cause; 2. that he not be excommunicated because of a notorious delict, or excluded from legitimate acts, or by infamy of law, although no sentence has intervened, nor be interdicted or otherwise publicly criminal or infamous by infamy of fact; 3. that he know the rudiments of faith; 4. that he not be a novice or professed in any religion, unless necessity urges and permission of the Superior, at least local, is had; 5. that he not be constituted in sacred orders, unless express license of his own Ordinary is added" (c. 766).

Therefore observe that it is lawful for the minister to admit one younger than 14 years if some just cause, for instance difficulty of finding another in the family, advises it.

When a sentence has intervened, the excommunicated, those excluded from legitimate acts, and those infamous by infamy of law cannot validly undertake the function; if they were merely notorious, they are only prohibited from being sponsors. Nor are religious now properly excluded, as before. But permission of one's own Ordinary is necessary for a minister in sacred orders to be a sponsor.

Therefore the baptizer himself is not expressly excluded, although the Code supposes that they are distinct persons, and the Sacred Congregation of Propaganda Fide, September 21, 1843, treating of the function of sponsor of Confirmation, declared that this is not to be tolerated. But by a more recent response of January 14, 1873 (Decr. auth., n. 3305), it ordered that then the minister act the parts of sponsor through a procurator.

— It is absolutely not lawful for Catholics to act as sponsor when baptism is conferred by a heretical minister. Cf. declaration of the Holy Office, May 10, 1770 (De Vecchio in Scavini, III, 230). For the sponsor asks baptism from one to whom it is not lawful to baptize, and seems exteriorly to promise instruction in heresy.

"In doubt whether someone can be validly or licitly admitted or not to the function of sponsor, the pastor, if time allows, should consult the Ordinary" (c. 767). Otherwise, let him rather keep away the doubtful sponsor. If he cannot do this without serious inconvenience, let him add another certainly fit sponsor.

— 1. One who is solemnly baptized must have one sponsor; yet not beyond one godfather and one godmother (cc. 762, 764).

To use two godfathers or two godmothers is venial if they are of the same sex as the one received; if of diverse sex, St. Alphonsus, l. 6, n. 155, once judged that this was mortal because of multiplied impediments of matrimony. But since today the force of spiritual relationship is greatly restricted, mortal guilt does not seem certain.

2. "Even in private baptism, a sponsor, if he can easily be had, is to be used; if he was not present, he is to be used in supplying the ceremonies, but in this case he contracts no spiritual relationship" (c. 762, §2).

3. When baptism is repeated under condition, the same sponsor, if it can be done, is to be used who perhaps was present in the prior baptism; if there was none, or the same cannot be had, a sponsor is not necessary (c. 763, §1).

But when baptism is repeated under condition, neither the sponsor of the prior baptism nor the sponsor of the later baptism contracts spiritual relationship, unless the same one was used in each (c. 763, §2).

For only in the latter case is it certain that someone was sponsor in valid baptism.

— On Spiritual Relationship. "From baptism only the baptizer and the sponsor contract spiritual relationship with the baptized person" (c. 768).

This relationship constitutes a diriment impediment of matrimony, yet of lesser degree, as will be explained afterward.

Before the Code, both the sponsors and the baptizer also contracted relationship with the parents of the baptized, by way of co-parenthood.

In private baptism, the baptizer himself contracts relationship with the baptized. Concerning sponsors the matter is not clear.

When someone raises a child through a procurator, only the one mandating, not the procurator, is bound by the relationship.