Romanian Patriarchate: Legalizing prostitution favors expansion of practices incompatible with human freedom and dignity

“The legalisation of prostitution will not lead to the eradication of human trafficking, nor to the elimination of sexual exploitation, nor to the disappearance of illegal prostitution. On the contrary, there is a real risk that it would provide a legal framework conducive to the expansion of practices incompatible with human freedom and dignity,” transmitted the Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate on Tuesday.

The release came in the context of a legislative initiative to legalize prostitution by a member of the Romanian Parliament who was elected on the lists of the National Liberal Party.

The Romanian Patriarchate warns that “the legalization of this practice does not lead to the healing of the painful social realities associated with prostitution; on the contrary, it encourages their proliferation, contributing to the disregard for human dignity and to the moral degradation of society”.

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Legalization of prostitution – an initiative incompatible with Orthodox teaching

The Romanian Patriarchate expresses deep concern and disapproval regarding an initiative aimed at legalising prostitution, considering such an approach incompatible with Orthodox Christian teaching and with respect for human dignity.

Prostitution represents a serious form of exploitation and commercialisation of the human body for financial gain, with profound negative consequences for both the individual and society as a whole. The legalisation of this practice does not lead to the healing of the painful social realities associated with prostitution; on the contrary, it encourages their proliferation, contributing to the disregard for human dignity and to the moral degradation of society.

The Romanian Patriarchate also reiterates that Romania is a signatory to the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, which states that prostitution is “incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and endangers the well-being of the individual, the family and the community”. This convention obliges signatory states to prohibit organised prostitution.

The teaching of Holy Scripture and of the Orthodox Church consistently affirms the incompatibility of prostitution with spiritual life (cf. Deuteronomy 23:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:3). From a Christian perspective, the human body is a “temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19), and any form of sexual exploitation or degrading use of the body constitutes a serious violation of personal dignity and has long-term effects on a person’s physical, psychological and spiritual health.

The legalisation of prostitution will not lead to the eradication of human trafficking, nor to the elimination of sexual exploitation, nor to the disappearance of illegal prostitution. On the contrary, there is a real risk that it would provide a legal framework conducive to the expansion of practices incompatible with human freedom and dignity.

In this context, the Romanian Patriarchate considers it necessary to express a firm public position, in accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture and the Holy Fathers, whenever legislative initiatives clearly contradict the moral values and the confession of faith of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate

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