Assisting in divorce?

[Michelle_Baum]

Hi,

I’m looking for some insight as to whether a job as a legal secretary, which involves assisting people in getting divorced, could be considered assisting in sin or is, in fact, a sin in itself?

Thoughts?

Michelle

 

[kage_ar]

Speak with your Confessor.

The CCC does give guidance as well:

scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2383.htm

**2383 **The *separation *of spouses while maintaining the marriage bond can be legitimate in certain cases provided for by canon law. If civil divorce remains the only possible way of ensuring certain legal rights, the care of the children, or the protection of inheritance, it can be tolerated and does not constitute a moral offense.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Hi,

I’m looking for some insight as to whether a job as a legal secretary, which involves assisting people in getting divorced, could be considered assisting in sin or is, in fact, a sin in itself?

Thoughts?

Michelle

Try this:

zenit.org/article-3542?l=english

 

[otjm]

Hi,

I’m looking for some insight as to whether a job as a legal secretary, which involves assisting people in getting divorced, could be considered assisting in sin or is, in fact, a sin in itself?

Thoughts?

Michelle

It is not a sin in and of itself, as divorce is allowed by the Church in certain circumstances. Further, your part in the process is removed; you do not do the divorces, the attorney(s) do(es). there are usually openings in other law firms for legal secretaries, so if it is an area you wnat nothing to do with, you can certainly seek employment elsewhere.

However, there are also divorce cases where there are legitimate reasons the divorce should occur (or will occur - no fault guarantees one will occur if there is a filing in almost all cases filed), and people have a right to be represented in a legal proceeding.

More often than not, the attorney is not in a position to judge whether the divorce fits within moral guidelines as the Catechism lays out because the attorney is not privy to all of the information that would assist in making such a call. Further, most attorneys are not in a position to be able to make a call on whether or not a given marriage was a sacramental union. Some people feel that this is grounds for not being involved; others call it differently. There is simply not a hard and fast, black and white answer to the issue. If that is of concern to you, or you are not comfortable with that, as I noted, there are usually other legal secretarial jobs available. And worst case, there are usually other jobs not involving the law available.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I think there are divorce clients so heinous that one just simply should not, in good conscience, take his/her case; certainly if the client insists on an unjust result. But that’s true in any kind of legal case, in my opinion. A Catholic lawyer might not want to divorce people married in the Church, and I take that view, unless there is some really compelling reason (e.g. serious abuse needing legal prevention). Some lawyers believe they have a duty to represent the rottenest person on earth in the worst cause imaginable. I do not share that view.

But most divorces are simply divisions of property, debt and care and support of children, when people are going to live apart anyway. A legal separation is different only in that the people are still married in the eyes of the law.

Marriage can be a sacrament and, for that reason, indissoluble in a spiritual sense. Marriage under the civil law is about property rights, child custody and support. They are not the same thing.