Maria Shriver Reconsidering Divorce from Arnold Schwarzenegger
Religious Beliefs Key in Decision to Reconcile
Arnold Schwarzenegger's estranged wife Maria Shriver is reconsidering her divorce filing, months after learning about her husband's secret love child.
Shriver had filed for divorce in July after 25 years of marriage to Schwarzenegger, who confessed to having an affair and a love child with the family's long-term nanny.
Today it is believed that Shriver, 56, has had a sudden change of heart, in part because of her religious faith, which does not support the notion of divorce, according to TMZ.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Schwarzenegger, who has four children with Shriver, has reportedly spent months attempting to win his wife back with sweet gestures and gifts.
In the summer, Shriver hired renowned Hollywood attorney Laura Wasser before serving the former California governor with divorce papers.
Citing "irreconcilable differences," the divorce petition also requested custody of the couple's two young children, 17-year-old Patrick and 13-year-old Christopher.
Schwarzenegger had previously admitted to having an on-going affair with former nanny Mildred Patricia Baena. The affair is believed to have occurred 14 years prior.
"After leaving the governor's office, I told my wife about this event, which occurred over a decade ago," Schwarzenegger said in an earlier statement.
After Baena fell pregnant and decided to keep the baby, 64-year-old Schwarzenegger convinced her to keep their child a secret while still proceeding to publicly treat the boy as his own.
The boy, who is now believed to be 14, was regularly included on family vacations and showered with gifts by both Schwarzenegger and Shriver.
Both Schwarzenegger and Shriver attend Catholic church. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, "the Church believes that God, the author of marriage, established it as a permanent union." Thus, "the Church does not recognize a civil divorce because the State cannot dissolve what is indissoluble."
Shriver moved out of the family home shortly before filing for divorce, and it is unclear whether the pair will reconcile anytime soon.
