Abused by his wife, what can the husband do?

[Hondo341]

I was reading some Church Documents the other night about abusive relationships. I am not sure if it was Vatican II or the Catechism. I saw where it stated that a spouse that is being physically/emotionally abused may be in a state of sin for continuing to allow it to happen and not getting into a safe place. Can someone point to it for me? My good friend is in such a marriage and is being abused both physically and emotionally. My friend is the husband and the wife is doing the harm. She locks him out of the house, and drains his bank account when hers goes dry. She even took off for a vacation to Canada and charged the whole thing. He sleeps on the floor in a closet as she locks him out of the room. He does not get out of the house because he is a faithful Catholic and wants to do right by God. He is really in a tough spot. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

Being that submissive to his wife is not what the Church considers marital fidelity. It is not natural for a husband to be afraid of his wife. He needs to acknowledge that this is the case and then he needs to learn the cause of it. Both spouses sound out of order.

I suspect that there has been something very wrong with this marriage from the very beginning. A man as weak as he sounds, needs some help from his priest or counselor, or both. He needs to get out of the house and then seek help. Pray for them as will I. If I can be of any help, he can write privately here by clicking on my name above.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.