Abstract
<jats:p>The condition of marriage and family is currently considered one of the most momentous problems of the Church and the state. The main purpose of the research presented in the book, conducted mainly with the help of statistical and sociological methods, was to obtain an in-depth description and analysis of the situational conditions and religious and social motivations of those initiating the process of declaring a marriage null before a diocesan tribunal in the Catholic Church. This, in turn, led to a deeper knowledge of the state of marriages and families in Poland. This task was accomplished through a quantitative survey, which made it possible to create a quantitative characterization of marriages whose validity was being examined by a church tribunal, and through a qualitative research based on the in-depth interview technique, from which a typology of people forming such marriages was built. The preceding research made it possible to grasp the profound diversity of situations and social behavior that result in the breakdown of marriage and family ties, as well as to identify specific reasons for the breakdown of marriages. The presented results can influence further studies of the condition of marriage and family both from the perspective of social sciences and theology.</jats:p>