“And how are the birth-rates doing in Orthodox and formerly Orthodox countries these days? Just curious...”
In the only two I’ve seen rates on, Greece and Russia, not well at all. I doubt that has to do with the absence of a hollow warning of “mortal sin” from some priest. In fact, knowing Greeks, if a priest, let alone some hierarch, told a Greek he or she could not use use birth control on pain of some ecclesiastical penalty, its likely they’d have no kids at all.