More than half the marriages conducted in Greek Orthodox churches in Victoria were mixed, says the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. In 2012, of the 580 weddings conducted by the Archdiocese, 322 of those were mixed.

The figures also showed a significant drop in marriages conducted in Greek Orthodox churches in Melbourne. 935 marriages were registered in Greek Orthodox churches in Victoria in 2002, showing nearly a 50 per cent drop in church weddings. This could be due to inter-communal but also to wider societal and demographic changes that result in marriages being conducted in civil services and ceremonies. 455 of these marriages in 2002 were mixed. Greek Australians could be steering towards services and ceremonies due to mixed cultural marriages, but also a break away from religious services.

Australians of Italian descent are the biggest ethnic group that Greek Australians are looking for when choosing their life partner, followed by Anglo-Saxons, then smaller ethnic groups, said the Archdiocese.

Divorce rates amongst members of our community have also increased. In 2011, 600 marriages were conducted in churches in Melbourne and of those, 96 ended in divorce. However, the church says this rate may be higher, taking into account the Archdiocese only issues divorce certificates for Greek Australians wishing to remarry in the church.