A teachers’ party representative in Congress has called for the Church to be more sensitive to cultural norms after the bishops’ representative condemned the practice of appointing multiple godparents.

Father Melvin Castro, executive secretary of the Catholic bishops’ Episcopal Commission on Family and Life, earlier advised parents to ask only close friends to be godparents.

He stressed Canon Law allows only two baptism sponsors.

“The Code of Canon Law mentions only two individuals, a male and female should be baptismal sponsors, and whenever a confirmation would take place, the same sponsors are even encouraged to stand witnesses,” Father Castro said.

But House Representative Antonio Tinio of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers party said there should be room for some flexibility.

“Church policies should be sensitive to Filipino culture,” of having “so many godparents,” he said.

Godparents “provide an extended social safety net for families in the absence of an adequate government social welfare system," the legislator explained.

He noted most Filipinos have the practice of asking many people, often politicians or prominent figures to be godfathers and godmothers to their children.

But House Representative Luzviminda Ilagan of the Gabriela women’s party said there was a need to “back to the spirit and the essence of religious rites."

She expressed concern over Church rites turning into “social events with people splurging hard-earned money to make an impression or to keep up with the Joneses."

Ilagan called on parishes to lower fees for Church rites, saying it "should be reasonable and should even be socialized to help the poor."

House Representative Maria Milagros Magsaysay of Zambales province said "it’s up to the people" whether they will follow or not the advice of the Church.

International singing sensation Charice Pempengco and her brother Carl in a widely publicized baptism and confirmation at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Pasig diocese in May had 23 pairs of godparents.

Listed godparents included American television host Oprah Winfrey and American composer David Foster neither of whom were present during the ceremony.

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