SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Thousands of people to be married Friday in simultaneous mass ceremonies around the world have never met. They put their faith in divine guidance. The matchmaker is Unification Church founder Rev. Sun Myong Moon, organizer of 12 previous wedding extravaganzas. He and his wife personally will bless 35,000 couples in Seoul, breaking his record of 20,000 in 1992.
Overall, 720,000 people will be married via satellite at 545 sites in more than 100 countries. Two-thirds are renewing their vows. About 10,000 Americans will be participating, from Washington D.C., to Omaha, Neb. Most new couples met on their own. But tens of thousands are strangers who are expected to spend a few months getting acquainted before consummating the marriage and living together.
Some 80 South Korean Protestant groups claim it's a huge ripoff that has brought the church $1.3 billion over the years. Japanese couples are paying $29,000 each; Americans $2,000. Church officials say the money goes for satellite charges and the costs for 200,000 African couples.
Moon and his wife have spent 15 months matching people, using photos categorized by sex, age and nationality. They say they rely on inspiration from God, taking into consideration any preferences or limitations, like infertility. Couples can reject a match, but the church says few do and that the divorce rate is only 5 percent to 10 percent. Critics say it's much higher. Established in the 1950s, the Unification Church claims 2 million to 3 million followers worldwide, 45,000 of them Americans.
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