An annulment is a legal procedure which declares a marriage null and void, or having no legal effect. It is NOT a divorce, it means that the marriage was never legitimate to begin with.
The Catholic Church does not believe in divorce, but under a few circumstances an annulment might be granted. An annulment nullifies the marriage, meaning that it never existed. To have grounds for an annulment, the couple must not have been able to enter a valid marriage because of a reason set forth by the church, such as being pressured to marry or the couple is closely related by blood. As part of the annulment process, the petitioner will ask for witnesses to testify that the couple's marriage was invalid. The witnesses usually make this testimony in a letter to the tribunal.
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