Non-orthodox Godparents

[Elena]

From what I have read it seems that Orthodox godparents are essential. However practical experience tells me this is not the case and I know of many people with Catholic and Protestant godparents - was this just because there used to be so few of us in England that it wasn't possible to find enough suitable sponsors? What implications are there of having non-orthodox godparents?

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

From what I have read it seems that Orthodox godparents are essential. However practical experience tells me this is not the case and I know of many people with Catholic and Protestant godparents - was this just because there used to be so few of us in England that it wasn't possible to find enough suitable sponsors? What implications are there of having non-orthodox godparents?

The godparents should be Orthodox since they have a responsibility to guide the person being Baptized -whether infant or adult- into the Faith.

In terms of the service for example where this most comes out is when the Creed is read three times right after the exorcism prayers. Since it is the godparent who reads the Creed they really need to be Orthodox so that there is not something false about this.

Sometimes however there is pressure put on the priest by the family to have a non-Orthodox godparent. Choosing someone as a godparent even if not Orthodox is a way the family acknowledges a close relationship with that particular person. This really isn't good justification for having a non-Orthodox godparent but still the family insists.

In that case I tend to follow the advice given me years ago by the Archimandrite who would give advice to our diocesan clergy whenever our then rocor bishop was not available to speak with. First off he explained that nowhere in the service of Making a Catechumen or of Baptism is there found any reference to godparents or sponsors. Although there's nothing at all wrong with it, the practice actually arose as a pious and partly social tradition of support to the child. Thus if an Orthodox godparent cannot be found then it's important to bear in mind that a baptism is still a baptism even without a godparent.

In any case in our parish when a family insists on a non-Orthodox godparent the godparent would hold the child to be baptised as usual. But we have someone else who is Orthodox read the Creed. Often I get the parents to do this alternately since it's done three times.

In Christ- Fr Raphael