
The scope of jurisdiction of state and church courts in matrimonial matters and the mutual dependence of the judgments issued by them is of significant importance for spouses who, due to their citizenship, are subject to Polish civil law, and due to their membership in the Catholic Church, also to canon law. The autonomous jurisdiction model adopted in Poland means the separation of competences of secular courts and ecclesiastical courts adjudicating in matrimonial matters. The consequence of such a separation is the lack of legal effects of judgments of common courts under canon law, and judgments of church tribunals under secular law. However, judgments issued in proceedings conducted in separate legal systems may be mutually used as evidence. There are no contraindications to the use of secular documents in canonical proceedings and church documents in civil proceedings. The aim of the article is to show the possibilities of using "secular" documents, including those created in the course of or for the purposes of divorce proceedings, as well as to indicate whether if it is possible to use documents from marriage invalidity proceedings in a divorce case.
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