WASHINGTON (CNS) – Couples seeking a marriage annulment in Cleveland no longer have to pay a fee for the service.

Under a plan announced by Bishop Richard G. Lennon, all fees in annulment cases were eliminated. Bishop Lennon said that he hoped the change will encourage men and women in irregular marriages, especially those who have been divorced and remarried, to undertake greater participation in the life of the Church.

Father Gary Yanus, the judicial vicar, said, “It seems the fee discourages a number of people from presenting a case which has merit. This is a good way of encouraging people to come forward and see where they stand with the church and reflect on their life with the Lord and the church as well.”

Cleveland is the most recent diocese to waive fees for annulments. Cardinal Edmund C. Szoka, as archbishop of Detroit, eliminated fees in the 1980s. The Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, ended its fees in 2000.

The decision comes at no small cost to the Cleveland Diocese. In 2013, with 512 annulment cases filed and the diocese’s estimated average cost of $450, the diocese is forfeiting more than $230,000 in fees.

Father Yanus said the diocese is on pace to receive 500 to 600 annulment applications in 2014.

He said he was unsure whether the number would rise in the future because of the change.