Can a husband and wife be godparents? Let's work it out together.

The offer to be godparents isa sign that you have been recognized as worthy of raising a new person, just born, in Christian morality. This means that your future religions are beyond doubt with future parents. But increasingly, the number of godparents for one child becomes a stumbling block between parents and the church. How many should there be? Can the godparents be the husband and the wife of one child? How many spiritual parents can a person have?

The question is whether god and husband can be godat the same time, it torments the minds of Orthodox people and causes debate even in religious forums and in disputes between priests. According to the Orthodox canon, in order for the rite to be considered perfect by all the rules, one perceiving spiritual parent is enough - for male babies this should be the godfather, and for girls - the godmother, respectively. The second godfather does not have to be, it is only at the request of the parents.

Православные священники горячо спорят на эту тему.Definitely can not be godparents only the mother and father of the child. From the point of view of opponents that the godparents and the wife are married to a real marriage, the spouses after marriage are one, and if both are godparents it is wrong. But this can not be an obstacle for them in the baptism of different children from the same family. Proponents of the fact that a married couple may be godparents, appeal to the fact that the Holy Synod clarified the decree of December 31, 1837. They stated that, according to Trebnik, a single receiver is sufficient depending on the gender of the godson, godparents are people who are in any spiritual relationship and therefore prohibit them from marrying each other.

You can formulate the answer to the question whetherbe godparents husband and wife, as follows. If their marriage is registered only in the registry office, and was not consecrated by the church, then most likely the priest of the Orthodox Church will not object to the spouses becoming both receivers at baptism, because according to the laws of the church, their marriage is not bound in heaven. The same applies to the following cases when it is possible to be spiritual parents - the godparents and the wife can enter into their marriage after the baptismal rite, and still remain with the godparents.

Modern parents, of course, want tothe godparents were close to the family of the godson, and they choose recipients from among friends or relatives. The usual number of godparents at the ceremony - two people of opposite sexes. Rarely does one godfather. The reason for this lies not so much in the spiritual as in the material aspect. Christians impose obligations on spiritual parents not only religious and educational, but also material ones - for example, they should congratulate the spiritual child on holidays, and therefore give gifts. And, of course, it is considered that the more successful the godfather or the godmother, the better for the child.

In the outback with the question whether there can be godparentshusband and wife, the matter is even simpler. Often in villages you can even come across a tradition of four or more godfathers. Two or four married couples are chosen there, and they don’t bother with such questions at all - from a religious point of view. But if the questions of Orthodoxy are important to you, it is better, of course, to consult with the priest, and then choose the godparents. And it is best to choose them not by wallet, but by heart. Indeed, believing people, even without being god-at-laws, will always support your child in difficult times and guide him on the right path, and whether they are husband and wife is not that important. For your child and the spouse of the godfather will automatically be godfather.