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TryingToHelp Theresa
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
My brother divorced his wife about a year
ago.
She left their child (at the time he was
2 1/2 years old) with him and our family. She
committed adultery several times before, during,
and after the marriage. He did not find this out
until she left him. She now has had a baby
girl with another man and refuses to take
her son to Church. Basically, this woman
refuses anything that is of sound mind and
faithful.
- How can my brother get an annulment of
this marriage through the Church?
- Also, seeing my brother does not have a lot
of money and neither do we as a family, is there any Church lawyer that
can help him get full custody of his son?
Theresa
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Since she refuses to meet his son's needs, how can my brother get an annulment and full custody? }
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Theresa —
Your brother has to make an appointment
with the pastor at his local parish.
The pastor can start the process
of seeing whether an annulment is
feasible.
If you are looking for a Church lawyer,
I would try the St. Joseph Foundation.
They may be able to help and if they
can't, they can probably recommend
someone or some organization who can.
As with all things, the best thing you can do is keep praying for all
parties involved; especially those
who have hurt you. Remember Our Blessed
Lord tells us to pray for our enemies. (Matthew 5:44)
Hope this helps,
Mike
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Eric
replied:
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Hi, Theresa —
The Church Herself does not generally
provide lawyers to people to defend
or prosecute civil or criminal cases,
although there may be some local
church-related organizations that
might help out with this. If so,
I'm not familiar with them.
Mike mentioned the St. Joseph Foundation but they handle canonical cases,
not civil cases which is what you're
referring to.
You could try contacting
your local diocese or Catholic Charities,
but I'm thinking for a custody case,
they probably wouldn't provide a
lawyer.
Eric
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Hi, Theresa —
Legal Aid might be able to help your
brother. The local parish priest
can start the annulment process.
I am sorry to hear about your troubles.
Mary Ann
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