I was married in the Catholic Church but I am divorced now. I did not get a annulment. The priest said I could not be a godmother, but I have my doubts. Am I able to be a godmother at the baptism of my niece that I have custody of?

Each child born in a Catholic family, receives the Sacrament of Baptism at an early age, and is escorted by its Godparents at the time of its baptism. Traditionally, a godparent must normally be an appropriate person, at least sixteen years of age, a confirmed Catholic who has received the Eucharist, not under any canonical penalty, and may not be the parent of the child. Now, there could be a situation in which a Catholic girl grows up and develops an affinity for her Godfather in spite of the age-difference of say, twenty years. They are not related to the extend that their union is prohibited on the basis of proximity of blood-relationship. Does the fact that they are Godfather and God-daughter, stand against their receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony ? In other words, does the Catholic Church prohibit marriage between a woman and her God-father ?

A conversion presumably severs the spiritual ties with one's baptismal godparents. I am reading about a convert from Russian Orthodoxy to Roman Catholicism, who apparently converted around age 20 and was confirmed around age 50. The confirmation, his only surviving sacramental record, names a godfather that he could not possibly have met until he was an adult. In a comment, curiousdannii reveals that the term of art is "sponsor" (thanks!). Do converts to Catholicism always have exactly one sponsor? Does sponsorship differ from godparenthood? When do they get the sponsor?

Without infant Baptism, do Protestants have godparents? Furthermore, are there any traditions common to most Protestant denominations concerning who should see to it that a child is raised in the Faith in lieu of the parents?

My wife and I (both Catholic) have been asked to serve as godparents at our niece's baptism. The child's parents are fully aware of our strong commitment to the Catholic faith. I've received conflicting advice, and I wonder if anyone here can point to clear teaching on whether or not it is licit for us to serve as godparents at a baptism in an Anglican church.

Can the Catholic Church make an exception that would allow for a mother and father to sponsor two godparents whom are both of the same gender?

I talked to quite a few people today about Catholicism. I asked one couple questions about being godparents, because they were godparents for another child. However, this couple is not even Catholic. They also were not married in the Catholic Church. I was under the impression that godparents were required to be active members of the Catholic Church. What are the requirements for godparents in the Catholic Church? Does the Catholic Church sometimes disregard the rules regarding godparents?

I've seen many explanations of the RCIA process, but all of them I've found make reference to a sponsor of sorts. [A local parish's website explains:](http://www.stmarycathedral.com/rcia.html) > A sponsor accompanies any candidate seeking admission as a catechumen. > Sponsors are persons who have known and assisted the candidates and > stand as witnesses to the candidates' moral character, faith, and > intention (see Godparents Role In Baptism.) [Another question](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/35790/requirement-for-godparents-in-the-roman-catholic-church) indicates that the sponsors/godparents must meet certain requirements. Here's the problem: Were I to go through this, I would be the only Catholic in my family that I know of. Supposedly I have an aunt in the faith, but she lives both a great distance away, and we're really not all that familiar. (In other words, it sounds like she wouldn't meet the requirements.) What would I do in this case? Can one be initiated without a godparent or sponsor?

What if one of the godparents is confirmed and the other is not, but both are Catholic? For instance, what if one potential godparent is confirmed, has taken all of the sacraments so far required, and so on, but the other has only been baptized and is mildly handicapped? According to Catholic Canon Law, can they still both serve as godparents?

I was looking through Catholic baptismal records, while doing genealogy, when I realized that I didn't know what the purpose of godparents is. What is their purpose? Why are they recorded? Are the godparents held accountable for anything?

My friend agreed to be a godfather for my baby. But he cannot be present at ceremony for some visa/travel reasons. Will his name get written on the Baptism Certificate? I want to present/show him some memorial evidence that he is a godparent once we meet.

Assume a young adult is close to Confirmation in the Roman Catholic church, but, while still a child, never finishes the process because the family moves away from the parish. What would be the process for this person to become a godparent at this point in the Roman Catholic church? Would it matter if the person in question is the sibling of one of the birth parents?

In *The Godfather*, can anyone that is more familiar with the Catholic faith, tell me if Michael would be considered absolved of his sins considering that he agrees to "renounce satan and all of his works"? Having done this after all of the hits of the crime bosses are carried out? The Baptism Murders