Despite the concerted efforts of the German administration in the occupied Łódź region, German-Polish mixed intimate relation-ships persisted. This article analyzes this issue in the context of the German civilian population, particularly ethnic Germans from Łódź, and Poles. During World War II, the occupying forces sought to prevent the formation and legalization of new intimate relationships between ethnic Germans and Poles. They introdu-ced more relaxed divorce laws to facilitate the dissolution of existing marriages. The Deutsche Volksliste (German Peoples’ List, DVL), established in the spring of 1940, played a pivotal role in this policy. Despite internal confusion and dilemmas, many Polish partners and children in ethnically mixed, legalized relationships were allowed limited German citizenship status as Volksdeutsche in the lowest categories. The process of inclusion and exclusion was deeply intertwined during the classification, driven by the necessity to avoid “ethnic confusion” and the potential displeasure of their German partners. The complexity of this ethnic categorization system and the policies governing ethnically mixed relationships became increasingly intri-cate with each passing year of the German occupation of Poland. However, these complexities did not disrupt the stability of the eth-nic hierarchy imposed by the occupiers in Łódź.

This paper discusses the essence of marriage in the world’s major religions (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, religions of primitive peoples) and presents the customs and forms of concluding marriage as well as the ethics of marital cohabitation. The paper goes on to analyse selected statements by the teaching offce of the Church on the subject of marriage and family in various religions. The question of „mixed” or interreligious marriage is analysed from the perspective of religious rules, law and interreligious dialogue. Attention is drawn to the pastoral care shown by the Catholic Church to mixed marriages and families. This care is a manifestation of interreligious dialogue. Each religion has its own unique understanding of the institution of marriage and family. A mixed marriage brings together two different views of this institution: these views are mutually exclusive in some aspects and coincident in other aspects. Marriage and family undoubtedly constitute the foundation of societies representing various cultures and religions. The religious views on marriage exert an indisputable impact on the moral and social order of individual groups, communities and societies.