Sharp decline in marriage annulments in last 10 years

The number of couples seeking an annulment of their marriage from the Church has fallen dramatically in the last 10 years.

Figures show that 224 Irish couples began the annulment process in 2012, down almost half from 2003, when 402 couples applied to the Church to have their marriage declared null.

In Catholic tradition, a decree of nullity declares a marriage null and void, meaning that an annulled marriage is considered to have been invalid from the beginning.