Q. 1. How many Godparents can there be during the Sacrament of Baptism?

A. 1. According to the Instructions of the Catholic Church, "One Sponsor, male or female, is sufficient; but there may be two, one of each sex." [Canon Law # 873] No one can have more than two Godparents, nor can anyone have two Godparents of the same sex.

Q. 2. Can the person to be baptized have two Godparents and two Sponsors?

A. 2. No! There can only be two witnesses to the Sacrament of Baptism. There has to be at least one Godparent (a Catholic); the second can be a witness (non-Catholic), and these must consist of a male and a female.

Q. 3. Can there be just two witnesses?

A. 3. No! There has to be at least one Catholic (Godparent/Sponsor) in good standing, meaning that person is practising his/her faith in the Catholic Church. Under normal circumstances, you cannot have a baptism without a Godparent/Sponsor.

EXCEPTION:

Canon Law # 872 states: "Insofar as possible, a person to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who assists an adult in Christian initiation or together with the parents presents an infant for baptism. A sponsor also helps the baptized person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations inherent in it."

The aforementioned states "is to be given" and not "must be given" for a reason. In the case of an emergency, such as at childbirth where it is expected that the child shall soon die, it is not always possible to find a Godparent in time to administer the Sacrament of Baptism. As such, the Sacrament may proceed without a Godparent.

Q. 4. If a person is involved in a same sex marriage, can he/she be a Godparent?

A. 4. In consideration of Canon Law # 872 mentioned above, the requirement of the Godparent/Sponsor is to assist in Christian Initiation an adult who is to be baptised or, in the case of an infant, to help live a Christian life befitting the baptised. Because, to the baptized, the Sponsor/Godparent is to be a Christian model role who abides by the teachings of the Catholic Church, someone involved in a same sex relationship would not be acceptable.

Equally, someone who is living common-law, and/or someone who favours abortions, and/or someone who has not stepped inside a Catholic Church for years, therefore not practicing his/her faith, and/or a person living in a continuous state of mortal sin due to immorality, is not a suitable candidate for Godparent or Sponsor of a person to be baptised in the Catholic Church.

Q. 5. Does the Catholic Church make exceptions to this rule?

A. 5. No! Bishops and priests do not have the authority to change the application of the Catholic Church Canon Laws. They are bounds by the Canon Laws.

Q. 6. Can there be 4 Godparents in the case of twins?

A. 6. Yes and No! There can be 4 godparents in the sense that there are two Godparents for each twin, this totalling four. But each twin can only have 2 Godparents of their own. It must be made clear which Godparent is for which twin. Why? Because the Godparents have to sign as witnesses to the Sacrament of Baptism.

It should be noted that in the case of twins, they can both share the same 2 Godparents, one male and one female.