See also the L'Osservatore Romano articles Stopping the Spread of HIV/AIDS and Stopping the Spread of HIV/AIDS--A Response by Mons. Jacques Suaudeau of the Pontifical Academy for the Family, also published in 2000.
"Artificial methods of birth control are forbidden in the Orthodox Church."
That was stated so unambiguously I assumed it meant, "This is the position of the Orthodox Church" Adding to that impression was the fact taht the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople wrote to Pope Paul VI back in 1968 to assure him of the Orthodox Church's "total agreement" with the encyclical's contents:
"We assure you that we remain close to you, above all in these recent days when you have taken the good step of publishing the encyclical Humanae Vitae. We are in total agreement with you, and wish you all God's help to continue your mission in the world."
The firm tone of this assertion made us think that in this, the Patriarch was speaking for Orthodoxy.
Plus, there are others who write often and persuasively from an Orthodox perspective (I'm thinking of Fr. Patrick Reardon) who say that Orthodoxy has taught since Patristic days, and teaches now, that sexual intercourse ought not to be deliberately turned away from its procreative end.
So that gave us Catholics the impression that our Orthodox brethren were holding firm to the Patristic understanding, etc. etc. and that those Orthodox who dissented from this perspective were just that, innovators and dissenters.
Evidently, this is not the case. We were mistaken. According to OrthodoxWiki (Link), this pro-contraceptive innovation is now widely considered the "new consensus."
But some Orthodox strongly disagree, including both laity and hierarchs. And as far as I can see, there is nobody in Orthodoxy who actually has the authority to say what is, or is not, "THE" Orthodox teaching on this and other disputed questions.
If there is, I would like to know who that would be.
Correct me, Brother K, if I have expressed this incorrectly.