19 December, Vitebsk /Olga Bogacheva - BELTA/. The Episcopal Court of the Vitebsk Catholic Diocese has resumed its work, Bishop of the Vitebsk Diocese Vladislav Blin informed a BELTA correspondent. The Episcopal Court consists of five judges (priests of the diocese), a notary, and a defender of the marital union. Its competence primarily includes issues related to the annulment of church marriages. Vladislav Blin recalled that the Catholic Church has never recognised divorces and does not divorce spouses. However, there are situations in life when a church marriage did not take place for some reason. In such cases, the Episcopal Court, after a detailed examination of all circumstances, may declare it invalid and grant permission for a new union recognised by the church. To make such a decision, a vast amount of information concerning the lives of the spouses is studied, including documents, witnesses, and a psychologist-expert are involved. A reason for declaring a marriage invalid can be information important to the second spouse, but hidden before the wedding, concerning the physical or mental health of their chosen one, facts of infidelity, domestic violence, deception, affecting the freedom of choice. Also, a valid reason is the proven lack of care for children. If the marriage is declared invalid, the case is sent to the Minsk Diocesan Court as the higher authority, where the verdict must be confirmed. After that, a corresponding entry is made in the parish books, and permission is issued. Otherwise, spouses can appeal to the Vatican. Vladislav Blin emphasised that for deeply religious people, permission for a second wedding is very important, as otherwise they are deprived of the opportunity to receive the sacraments of communion and confession, and to perform certain other sacred actions, which significantly harms their spiritual life. "At the same time, it is significant that the Episcopal Court of the Vitebsk Catholic Diocese considers cases not only of Catholics but also of Orthodox Christians," the bishop noted. In particular, if an Orthodox Christian whose wedding has been declared invalid in the Orthodox Church wishes to enter into a church marriage with a Catholic woman, they will have to apply to the Episcopal Catholic Court for this, where a repeated procedure for confirming the invalidity of their former church marriage will take place.