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Author Topic: suspected emotonal affair  (Read 2292 times)

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Änσnymσus

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suspected emotonal affair
« on: March 18, 2023, 01:53:55 PM »
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  • I have a close relative (e.g. sibling) in a common law relationship with a woman with whom he has two children. His "wife" has developed an online friendship with another man in a foreign country.  She is planning to visit this other man (whom she has never met in person) for a month. She is planning to take the younger child, who is still a nursing infant, along.  It is hard to believe this is merely a platonic online friendship.  I am not even sure she will come back.

    There are so many things wrong about this situation that I do not know where to start. My relative is turning to me for advice and I am not sure what to tell him.  Should he be attempting to salvage this relationship for the sake of the children or just give up on it?  Obviously neither of them are practicing Catholics, but lately he has started to show some interest in returning to Church.

    Änσnymσus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #1 on: March 18, 2023, 02:21:43 PM »
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  • The idea of a woman taking a nursing infant along to meet a man in another country is a crazy idea. Is there any way to change the woman's mind? Maybe get a lot of family members together to go and try to talk her out of it? There's just so much that is wrong about the situation. Maybe too, your sibling can get rid of internet service for awhile too. 


    Offline Ladislaus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #2 on: March 18, 2023, 02:28:40 PM »
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  • Well, when there's no marriage "commitment" in the first place, this is hardly surprising.  This woman has only a social obligation to remain faithful to her current co-habitator.

    IF they were married, this would be unacceptable behavior.  This relative of yours should tell her not to go, and that if she stays they need to be properly married, and if she goes, not to bother coming back.

    It's possible that her chief motivation is just to go visit a foreign country and has no attachment to this guy, but for her to spend a month with some man to whom she's not married would be unacceptable ... except that it would be little different than what she's doing now in cohabitating with this relative of yours.

    Offline MaterDominici

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #3 on: March 18, 2023, 02:36:56 PM »
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  • Given that they already have two children, he should do what he can to keep this family together for the sake of his children if nothing else. If he wants this family of his to work out, he needs to figure out what her motivations are and why she wants to go.

    Offline Mithrandylan

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #4 on: March 18, 2023, 03:22:15 PM »
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  • What's this travelling to another country business? Are we talking Detroit to Toronto? England to Scotland? Or the US to another continent?
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    Sounds a bit like the kind of journey bound to be one's last. She should obviously be discouraged from going. As far as the relationship goes, doesn't sound like there's much of one to salvage if the woman is up to this kind of stuff. It's good for the children to have a stable family model so he should do what he can to marry the girl and provide that. But there's a *lot* to recover from if it's gotten to this point. 
    "Be kind; do not seek the malicious satisfaction of having discovered an additional enemy to the Church... And, above all, be scrupulously truthful. To all, friends and foes alike, give that serious attention which does not misrepresent any opinion, does not distort any statement, does not mutilate any quotation. We need not fear to serve the cause of Christ less efficiently by putting on His spirit". (Vermeersch, 1913).


    Änσnymσus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #5 on: March 18, 2023, 03:55:16 PM »
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  • What's this travelling to another country business? Are we talking Detroit to Toronto? England to Scotland? Or the US to another continent?
    America to Australia 

    Änσnymσus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #6 on: March 18, 2023, 04:10:30 PM »
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  • Actions have consequences. The problem here is merely a consequence of previous actions.

    Änσnymσus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #7 on: March 18, 2023, 05:13:29 PM »
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  • Maybe he should ask her to marry him. Never to late to correct the situation. maybe that's what she's waiting for. 


    Offline josefamenendez

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #8 on: March 18, 2023, 05:24:28 PM »
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  • Sorry- that was me above

    Änσnymσus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #9 on: March 18, 2023, 05:36:52 PM »
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  • This is OP.  He already asked her to marry him and she said no.  He figures the relationship is over for good.  That is probably for the best, but we still need ways to limit the damage to the children, as much as possible. 

    Offline Ladislaus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #10 on: March 18, 2023, 05:50:55 PM »
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  • This is OP.  He already asked her to marry him and she said no.  He figures the relationship is over for good.  That is probably for the best, but we still need ways to limit the damage to the children, as much as possible.

    Of course, he shouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place by having children out of wedlock.


    Offline Ladislaus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #11 on: March 18, 2023, 05:52:59 PM »
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  • Given that they already have two children, he should do what he can to keep this family together for the sake of his children if nothing else. If he wants this family of his to work out, he needs to figure out what her motivations are and why she wants to go.

    What "family"?  This is an illicit union, and the two shouldn't be together at all.  Man and woman here CANNOT stay together, living in sin ... unless they get married ASAP.  Unfortunately, the two fornictaors (adulterers?) brought children into the world, but based on this man's morals or lack thereof, what does it even matter who gets custody?

    But, in short, they're required to separate anyway due to the sinful nature of this cohabitation.  Under some very strict circuмstances, the Church will allow a couple with children to continue living together but ONLY if there can be assurances that they'd carry on as brother and sister and that there would be no scandal.

    But the end cannot justify the means, and the "good of the children" cannot justify continuing to live in a state of mortal sin.

    So it's completely moot to speak of keeping some "family" together when they are required to separate due to God's moral law.

    And what does an "affair" mean?  Since they're not married, it's not as if this woman would be violating any rights a true husband would have to fidelity.  She's ALREADY in an affair with the current man.

    Offline Ladislaus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #12 on: March 18, 2023, 06:14:20 PM »
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  • Under some very strict circuмstances, the Church will allow a couple with children to continue living together but ONLY if there can be assurances that they'd carry on as brother and sister and that there would be no scandal.

    Another way to view this is that they have no right to have an affair with each other, and the woman's prospective foreign trip should be no different than if his sister went on this trip.  He has no right to or expectation of fidelity, and no right to be in such a relationship with her in the first place.

    Offline Ladislaus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #13 on: March 18, 2023, 06:16:24 PM »
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  • I have a close relative (e.g. sibling) in a common law relationship with a woman with whom he has two children. His "wife" has developed an online friendship with another man in a foreign country.  She is planning to visit this other man (whom she has never met in person) for a month. She is planning to take the younger child, who is still a nursing infant, along.  It is hard to believe this is merely a platonic online friendship.

    Your brother has no right to anything other than a "merely platonic ... friendship" with this woman either, no right to any kind of "fidelity".

    Änσnymσus

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    Re: suspected emotonal affair
    « Reply #14 on: March 18, 2023, 06:38:29 PM »
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  • Your brother has no right to anything other than a "merely platonic ... friendship" with this woman either, no right to any kind of "fidelity".

    And the children? What do you think should be done about them? Should they be abandoned?