Canon 874. §1 To be admitted to undertake the office of sponsor, a person must:

1° be appointed by the candidate for baptism, or by the parents or whoever stands in their place, or failing these, by the parish priest or the minister; to be appointed the person must be suitable for this role and have the intention of fulfilling it;

2° be not less than sixteen years of age, unless a different age has been stipulated by the diocesan Bishop, or unless the parish priest or the minister considers that there is a just reason for an exception to be made;

3° be a catholic who has been confirmed and has received the blessed Eucharist, and who lives a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken;

4° not labour under a canonical penalty, whether imposed or declared;

5° not be either the father or the mother of the person to be baptised.

§2 A baptised person who belongs to a non-catholic ecclesial community may be admitted only in company with a catholic sponsor, and then simply as a witness to the baptism.

§1. Ut quis ad munus patrini suscipiendum admittatur, oportet:

1° ab ipso baptizando eiusve parentibus aut ab eo qui eorum locum tenet aut, his deficientibus, a parocho vel ministro sit designatus atque aptitudinem et intentionem habeat hoc munus gerendi;

2° decimum sextum aetatis annum expleverit, nisi alia aetas ab Episcopo dioecesano statuta fuerit vel exceptio iusta de causa parocho aut ministro admittenda videatur;

3° sit catholicus, confirmatus et sanctissimum Eucharistiae sacramentum iam receperit, idemque vitam ducat fidei et muneri suscipiendo congruam;

4° nulla poena canonica legitime irrogata vel declarata sit innodatus;

5° non sit pater aut mater baptizandi.

§2. Baptizatus ad communitatem ecclesialem non catholicam pertinens, nonnisi una cum patrino catholico, et quidem ut testis tantum baptismi, admittatur.