Confirmation Sponsor Question

[zealousrap]

Confirmation sponsor qualifications can be a bit tricky, and [url="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_P2Y.HTM#4.1.0.1.4.0.874"]Canon Law on Baptism and Confirmation Sponsor[/url] only helps so far.

A person who got married outside of the Church before becoming Catholic, thus the "free" (total faithful fruitful) status was there I believe, then she came in through RCIA, is a practicing Catholic but her husband is not nor has any plans to be. It's a tricky thing under the whole "Catholic marriage" umbrella because of the order of the events. Her pastor did not sign a confirmation sponsor affidavit form because he stated that she was not married in the Church. This priest is a missionary, relatively new to America and may not be completely familiar with how this all breaks down. To my understanding, a person who is in this position should be able to be a sponsor since she is in full communion with the Church through the RCIA process and attends Mass faithfully every Sunday, receiving the Eucharist signifying consent to all the Church believes and teaches. her marrital status is why it's a bit fuzzy for me. Shouldn't the RCIA process have validated the marriage since she was not Catholic to begin with? The other side of it is that the husband is not Catholic nor has any plans to be...
Anyway, this is something I could use a quick reply on if possible. It's tough to find a document or teaching authority on this.
Would the answer be that the marriage is valid but just not Sacramental?

My email is zealousrapmusic@yahoo.com if you want to contact me for any further info...
Thanks and God Bless,
Aaron

Edited March 10, 2011 by zealousrap

[Cherie]

According to Canon 874, a sponsor must meet the following criteria:
- Must be 16 years old or older
- Must have received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist
- Must not be a parent of the one to be confirmed

This canon (874, §1, 1) also states that the sponsor must lead "a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on." Therefore, the following persons are not eligible to act as a sponsor:
[b]- Persons married outside the Catholic Church[/b]
- Persons who habitually miss Sunday Mass
- Divorced persons who have remarried outside the Catholic Church
- Persons cohabiting without the benefit and grace of Catholic marriage
- Persons who neglect the religious education of their children
- High school students who do not attend their parish's RE classes or Youth Group (not striving to grow
in their faith)
- Individuals who neglect to fulfill their "Easter Duty" that is, Communion at least once a year during the
Easter season and Confession once a year if in the state of mortal sin
- Those who give public scandal in any way

(Bolded part my own)

I am assuming that, because she was married outside the Catholic Church and has not had their marriage convalidated after her conversion, the priest considers her ineligible to be a sponsor. The RCIA process in and of itself does not automatically convalidate their marriage.