In yet another example of the difficulty in resolving religious differences after a parents' divorce, NBC Chicago reported on a couple fighting over two different brands of Christianity. The father, Victor Sarmiento, is a practicing Catholic; the mother, Lizette Perez, is a Pentecostal Christian.
Victor Sarmiento pleaded his case earlier this month in a Cook County court house to have his son baptized, a Catholic ritual Lizette Perez vehemently opposes. Illinois family lawyer Jeff Leving represents the 3-year-old boy's father:
"This divorce has been going on for two years now, so how long must one wait to baptize their child?"
If this sounds familiar, it's probably because it is very similar to the case of Chicago dad Joseph Reyes, who wanted to raise his daughter Catholic but faced staunch opposition by his Jewish ex-wife. He ultimately won his legal battle and is allowed to expose his child to Catholicism, while his ex is free to continue exposing her to Judaism.
The next court date for the current case is June 17, where Victor Sarmiento hopes his Illinois family law attorney will be able to produce a similar outcome. He hopes it will come through a settlement but is prepared to litigate if necessary. The father sounds cautiously optimistic:
"There's always hope, no matter what. Whenever you're down and out, you can always know that there's hope somewhere."
Illinois law grants the custodial parent the right to "determine the child's upbringing, including but not limited to the child's education, health care and religious training," as discussed by Women's Watch Inc. But some family courts have struck down divorces in which a single religion was required for the child of divorced interfaith parents.
And since there doesn't seem to be a clear line on this matter, experienced Chicago family law attorneys are best equipped to help you assert what you believe is your parental right of religious upbringing.
Related Resources:
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Child Custody and Religion (FindLaw)
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Contact a Divorce Attorney in Chicago (FindLaw)
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Solomon's Choice In Religious Custody Battle (FindLaw's KnowledgeBase)
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