Can My Jewish Relatives Be Godparents to My Catholic Baby?


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The Hebrew calendar is a lunar calendar; on it, Passover falls on the same day every year. It's only the English/Western date that changes every year.

At the Council of Nicea in 325 C.E., Christian church leaders decided that Easter's date should be tied to Passover because three gospels record that Jesus died at Passover. -->

Eastern churches like the Greek Orthodox Church use a different calendar. Their Pascha (Easter) falls a week later than Western Easter.

The aunt of a practicing Hindu coworker has died, and the family is traveling overseas for the funeral services. What would be an appropriate way for our business to express condolences? Are flowers for the family when they return appropriate? We don't want to offend or ignore a more appropriate tradition.

Sending flowers would certainly be a kind gesture and would offend no one, but keep in mind that it's a Western tradition not common in most Hindu communities. If you do send them, avoid bright colors (white is traditionally associated with Hindu funerals)--you might try white or pale yellow flowers.


Be aware, too, that family members of the deceased typically do not go out in the days after the funeral; friends visit them in their home.

Hindu tradition stipulates a series of rites to honor the dead and comfort the grieving, including one-month and one-year anniversary rituals. This article explains what Hindu ceremonies your coworker might be participating in or planning for.

I am a Roman Catholic and my husband is Jewish. We have a 6-month-old who we would like to be baptized. We would like the godparents to be my husband's sister and her husband, who are both Jewish.

The churches near me will not allow this. My husband's family is wonderful and I would not hesitate to entrust my daughter to their care. I am sure they would support her faith as a Catholic. Is there any sort of permission I could get? I feel the church is condescending.

I'm afraid you're out of luck. As you've probably learned from the churches near you, the Catholic Church requires two godparents: one must be Catholic, and the other must be either Catholic or a baptized non-Catholic Christian (whose formal title is "Christian witness").

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