The Orthodox Church and sexuality

This article by Olivier Clément examines the position of the Orthodox Church on human sexuality through a theological and historical study. The approach is both doctrinal and pastoral, articulating patristic sources, canon law, and the reflections of Russian theologians of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The central idea is that sexuality finds its authentic meaning only by ceasing to be autonomous and becoming the language of a faithful personal encounter, failing which it falls under porneia. The article shows how the Orthodox tradition reconciles the blessing of marriage with the monastic ideal, and how the principle of "economy" allows a merciful application of canonical rules to concrete situations — divorce, remarriage, contraception, abortion. The main contribution lies in highlighting an anthropology centered on the person rather than on nature, thereby clearly distinguishing the Orthodox approach from the Catholic magisterium.