Romanian Patriarchate opposes prostitution legalization in country

The Synod of the Romanian Patriarchate. Photo: basilica.ro

On January 13, 2026, the Romanian Patriarchate expressed deep concern and disagreement regarding the initiative to legalize prostitution, calling such an approach incompatible with Orthodox teaching and respect for human dignity.

The statement from the press service of the Romanian Church emphasizes that prostitution represents a serious form of exploitation and commercialization of the human body for financial gain, having profound destructive consequences for both the individual and society.

The legalization of this practice, in the Church's opinion, will not reduce the social problems related to prostitution, but on the contrary, they will exacerbate them, contributing to moral decay and further devaluation of human dignity.

The Patriarchate also highlighted that Romania is a party to the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others. The document defines prostitution as a phenomenon "incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person and endanger the welfare of the individual, the family and the community". States participating in the Convention are obligated to prohibit organized forms of prostitution.

The Church noted that Sacred Scripture and Orthodox Tradition consistently testify to the incompatibility of prostitution with spiritual life (cf. Deut. 23:17; 1 Thess. 4:3). From a Christian perspective, the human body is a "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 6:19), and any form of sexual exploitation or degrading use of the body is a grave violation of personal dignity and causes long-term harm to a person's physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being.

The Patriarchate emphasized that the legalization of prostitution will neither lead to the eradication of human trafficking, nor eliminate sexual exploitation, and nor rid society of illegal prostitution. On the contrary, there is a real danger that it will create a legal foundation for expanding practices that contradict human freedom and dignity.

In conclusion, the Romanian Patriarchate declared the necessity to openly and decisively express its position, based on the teaching of the Scripture and the Holy Fathers, whenever legislative initiatives come into clear contradiction with the moral values and doctrine of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that according to Romanian Patriarch Daniil, Europe's future is possible only by preserving its spiritual foundations and recognizing the primary role of Christian faith.

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