1.   All marriages came under civil jurisdiction and all, including Roman Catholics, had the right to a civil divorce.

2.   Annulments are necessary for divorced Catholics who want to remarry within the church because the church does not recognize civil divorce.

3.   Reform Jews accept civil divorces.

4.   The Roman Catholic Church considers marriage a sacramental bond that cannot be severed by civil divorce.

5.   Typically, Catholics who obtain civil divorces and want to get married again in the church seek an annulment.

6.   Higuchi had said she would seek a civil divorce and an annulment within the Catholic Church.

7.   In Orthodoxy, religious divorces are mandatory for remarriage even if a civil divorce has occurred.

8.   She said she would file for a civil divorce and at the same time seek an annulment within the Catholic Church.

9.   Some go to the United States or elsewhere to get a civil divorce, but statistics are unavailable.