judicial adultery


The lecture addressed judicial adultery as a canonical ground for annulment/divorce and emphasized the difficulty of proving adultery through direct apprehension of the act. The speaker suggested alternative proofs such as incriminating letters, phone recordings, photographs, and a wife’s pregnancy following the husband’s absence. He warned that electronic forgery (e.g., computer-manipulated photos) can invalidate photographic evidence, so courts must demand original documents and authentic recordings. The lecturer cited legal cases of forgery with serious consequences and cautioned against rushing to label a spouse as adulterous based on suspicion or courtesy, since such a ruling permanently harms the person’s reputation, the children, and family standing, and may cost the mother custody rights. Finally, he urged clerical council members to decide judicial adultery cases with great care and only on the basis of certain, reliable evidence.
