Divorce in the Orthodox Christian Community
From The Peopling of Astoria, Queens
Just as the members of the Church have to get married in the Church itself
in order for the marriage to be recognized in the eyes of God, the marriage
must also be “dissolved” in the house of God. Marriages end through death of
a spouse or through a divorce confirmed by the ecclesiastical court. The GOA
disapproves of divorce and according to Father George it is viewed as “…a
tragic failure.” The St. Demetrios Church performs an average of 30 divorces
each year. Just as the couples are counseled before the marriage takes
place, they also receive counseling when a divorce is impending. Before the
divorce proceedings are initiated, the couple presents their issues and
marital problems before a “panel” of Bishops, who then try to reach a
solution and try to counsel the couple to prevent them from filing a
divorce. If however no consensus is reached then the case is presented
before the religious or the ecclesiastical court of the church where the
final divorce proceedings are undertaken and the marriage is dissolved. Only
when the ecclesiastical court recognizes the divorce can the couples remarry
in the Orthodox Church.
