Eastern orthodox views on sexuality and the body

SynopsisIn 2004 and 2007, the European Union failed to impose a unique set of criteria regarding the optimal interaction between religion and politics as accession criterion, mostly because the European Union older states embrace different models of church–state relations. Instead, the EU has insisted that post-communist countries uphold human rights, some of them relating to religion and others vociferously contested by the churches. This article reviews the position of Eastern Orthodox Churches vis-à-vis sexuality and the body, by reviewing the Patristics literature informing canon law, as well as relevant contemporary Orthodox pronouncements on these themes.