Controversy over the inadmissibility of a girl with Down syndrome as baptismal godmother

A family has protested the decision of a priest from the Archdiocese of Seville (Spain) not to admit a girl with Down syndrome as a baptismal godmother, which has generated social and media controversy.

In one campaign public to collect signatures, the relatives ask for the dismissal of the parish priest of Benacazón, José Antonio Morón, while claiming “the right to be baptismal godmother” of Noelia, a 19-year-old girl with trisomy 21.

According to family members, the priest would have claimed to make this decision that “he is not suitable” even though he would have received the sacraments of Christian initiation and “actively participates in the faith and incarnates with purity and joy the values ​​of the Gospel.”

“Denying this right is not an administrative act: it is cruel and unjust discrimination, which contradicts the message of love, respect and welcome that the Church must represent,” they add.

In addition, they accuse the priest of having carried out “multiple acts of exclusion” against “transgender people, rejected or judged for their identity”, “people divorced or in new unions, excluded from full participation in parish life” and “unmarried or single fathers and mothers with children, who are denied the right to baptize or sponsor.”

Is there the right to be a Baptism godfather?

The Archbishopric of Seville, consulted by ACI Prensa, stated that “the decision made by the parish priest is not because he has Down syndrome,” but rather following the Instruction of Christian Initiation of the archdiocese, in force since 2015.

It specifies, in line with the Code of Canon Lawthat among the ecclesial criteria for the election of godparents is that the designated person “has the capacity to carry out this mission and the intention to carry it out,” which is discerned by the parish priest.

Regarding the election of godparents, who are recognized as “a true ecclesial function of helping the development of baptismal grace together with the parents,” the archdiocesan instruction establishes that, if “it primarily corresponds to the parents, it cannot be due to reasons of social commitment, but rather to the extent that they can guarantee perseverance in the faith and Christian life of their godchildren.”

On the other hand, the document provides for the possibility of there being “people with specific support needs who are chosen as godparents for Baptism or Confirmation.” For them, “depending on their needs and abilities, they will be guided by the catechists responsible for pastoral care for people with disabilities in their parishes,” who would offer the mandatory training with the pertinent adaptations.