Can two members of the Greek Orthodox Church who live in Israel but who married abroad in a civil ceremony divorce here ?
By: דיאנה שאלתיאל•Published on: 09 May, 2022Yes. Greek Orthodox Christians can divorce in Israel as their faith is recognised and has its own court system which has jurisdiction over the matter. This is so even if they married in a civil ceremony abroad. In a case in the 90’s two Greek Orthodox Christians who married in a civil ceremony abroad wished to divorce and were advised by the secretary of their religious court to begin the process of dissolution of marriage. They applied to the President of the Supreme Court for a ruling on which legal instance could hear their case. He ruled that he had no legal authority to do so under the Jurisdiction In the Matter of Dissolution of Marriage (Special Cases) Act of 1969 as both parties belonged to a recognised religion. Exclusive jurisdiction over their divorce lay with the Greek Orthodox Church Court , he held.