Approved Unified Draft of Personal Affairs

The most important principles included in the articles of the Unified Draft of Personal Affairs, which was approved by the Holy Synod after discussion and amendment in the meeting of the Holy Synod on Wednesday 21/02/1979, are:

1. The prohibition on divorce except for adultery or apostasy, and the prohibition of marriage for those divorced due to their own fault.
2. The prohibition on divorce by a single will [unilaterally].
3. Adherence to the law of the contract in case of any dispute between the spouses.
4. Determination of the prohibited relations in marriage.
5. Determination of the cases in which the marriage is null and void, and when the marriage dissolves.
6. The project also included the provisions of engagement, the pillars of marriage and conditions, and the encumbrances to marriage, including prohibited marital relationships, marriage contract procedures, and the rights and duties of the spouses, and matters corning custody and proven descent, and parental authority, adoption, and some general provisions.

As such, the Holy Synod issued the following two decrees regarding issues of personal matters:

1. Marriage is not permitted other than between one Orthodox [person] and another, united in the faith of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
2. Marriage is not permitted by proxy, i.e. in the absence of either of the person during the performance of the religious marriage ceremony.