Hello: This is really bothering me.What should my husband do? My husband recieved a witness anullment paper to fill out for a old friend so he can re marry. This man has had 2 divorces in the past.One was a non-Catholic marriage.The other was a Catholic marriage.This is the one he wants the witness paper filled out on. My husband told me he could not answer question number 9 and 10J the way the old friend wants. Esp. number 9 on adultery. My husband had no idea that question would be on the form. He isnt Catholic and neither am I. He wasnt told by the friend. Should he call the friend and tell him he just can't do this for him? Or fill it out truthfully and prevent a marriage? I think the so-called friend figured he would lie.............But i dont know the man. But my husband said that this man definitely knows he knows abt the affair. Deep inside I am concerned that if he lies for this friend he is sinning hisself.And possibly allowing a bad marriage to begin,other than the fact that it would be wrong to begin with. But is it our business? Will the friend accept the fact that he feels wrong abt. doing this? Should he care if this so-called friend cares? HELP!!

-- Lisa Stubblefield-Little (rachlisa@bellsouth.net), April 06, 2002

Answers

Response to witness on anullment papers

He should only answer truthfully. The friend (petitioner) also was reguired to answer these questions truthfully, and his ex-wife is also given the opportunity to answer the same questions. In other words the truth will come out.

-- Father Chris LaBarge (marydelfr@starband.net), April 06, 2002.

Response to witness on anullment papers

Jmj

Hello, Lisa. You wrote:
"My husband told me he could not answer question number 9 and 10J the way the old friend wants. Esp. number 9 on adultery. ... I think the so-called friend figured he would lie. ... [M]y husband said that this man definitely knows he knows abt the affair."

You have not come right out and said that the man asked your husband to lie. It appears that you are only assuming that he wants a lie in testimony. I think that you could be very wrong about that. It could be that the man knows that the exposure of the truth would be of benefit to him, and he wants it to come out. If he had an affair about which your husband knows, its exposure would not necessarily have a negative effect -- and it might have a positive effect -- on a nullity case. So I agree with Fr. LaBarge. As the saying goes, tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Now if the man really did explicitly ask your husband to lie for him, that also is a "truth" that he should impart to the tribunal.

God bless you.
John

-- (jfgecik@hotmail.com), April 08, 2002.