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GOARCH - November 3, 1998
OFFICIAL NEWS

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Announces
Interfaith Marriage Website Now Online

New York, NY - His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, Primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, announced today the official release online of the Interfaith Marriage World Wide Web Site at http://interfaith.goarch.org. The site allows interfaith spouses, couples, clergy, lay social scientists, and other experts and interested persons the ability to interact online with the findings that are emerging as a result of focus groups that are being conducted across the Archdiocese.

Approximately 67% of all marriages conducted in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese are inter-Christian in composition. Cognizant of this, His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, together with the Archdiocese Interfaith Committee, commissioned a research study in January 1998 to examine interfaith marriages. The goal of the research study is to develop an understanding of experiences and challenges that face interfaith couples in order to minister effectively to this growing population of marriages and families, to God's glory and our salvation.

It is anticipated that interfaith spouses' observations and interpretations of the materials on this site, together with insights and observations from clergy leaders, social scientists and others, will strengthen the trustworthiness of the research study. The development of the web site is a key part of the Archdiocese's pastoral concern for interfaith couples.

As the interfaith marriage web site develops, it will also serve to provide:

• A forum from which interfaith marriages can be examined and discussed throughout the Archdiocese.
• General, pastoral guidelines for clergy and lay leaders who work with inter-Christian, interfaith, and intercultural marriages.
• Updates with regard to the manner in which this important ministry is developing at the Archdiocesan, Diocesan, and local parish level.
• A stepping stone for other research in this area.
• A launching pad from which to consider other issues that pertain to marriages and families.

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  November 3, 1998 ]