Judge: Dad can take daughter to Catholic church

Chicago Tribune

April 13, 2010 6:06 PM 

UPDATED STORY

A Cook County judge has ruled that a father can take his 3-year-old daughter to Mass at a Roman Catholic church, even though her mother is raising her Jewish.

Judge Renee Goldfarb said Tuesday that Joseph Reyes can take his daughter to "church services during his visitation time if he so chooses. This court also ordered that Joseph have visitation with [their daughter] every year on Christmas and Easter."

Likewise, the order stipulated that Rebecca Reyes always have their daughter on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover.

"I have to be very, very happy that I got additional time with my daughter and got to expose [her] to all of who I am," Joseph Reyes said.

Goldfarb declined to keep Reyes from taking his daughter to church as long as no evidence exists that it would harm the child. Though Rebecca Reyes testified that contrary religious teachings could confuse the pre-schooler, Goldfarb avoided doctrinal questions, saying it was not the court's place "to focus on or attempt to interpret or judge official religious doctrines."

"She is three years old and, according to Joseph, while at church, she waves at the other children, looks around and giggles," Goldfarb wrote. "This court found that testimony credible."

The ruling in the divorce proceeding between Joseph and Rebecca Reyes lifts restrictions placed on Joseph Reyes last year that barred him from exposing his daughter to any "non-Jewish" religious activity.

The injunction was imposed after Reyes sent photographs of his daughter's baptism to his estranged wife, who had not known about the baptism.

A judge will rule later this month whether Reyes should stand trial for contempt after allegedly defying the order and asking television news crews to film him in December taking his daughter to Mass at Holy Name Cathedral in downtown Chicago. Reyes, a student at John Marshall Law School, said he defied the order because it was unconstitutional.

"Joseph compared himself to Rosa Parks," Goldfarb said. "Joseph Reyes is no Rosa Parks."
Joseph and Rebecca Reyes were married in October 2004, but they split four years later. Rebecca Reyes was granted sole custody of their daughter last year.