How does the Eastern Orthodox position on divorce compare with the Catholic one?
Answer Johann, The Orthodox Church maintains the ideal that marriage is a life-long union of one man and one woman, ordained and blessed by God. We recognize that, due to our sin, marriages do fail. The Orthodox Church does not grant divorces – that is done by the civil courts. Depending on the circumstances, the Church may grant permission to remarry a second and perhaps even a third time, but not a fourth. Three marriages is the limit, regardless of whether the previous marriages ended in divorce or in the death of the spouse. Orthodoxy is not a fan of birth control by any means. Children are the natural and desireable fruit of marriage. But we do recognize that delaying procreation may be appropriate at times. Motive, rather than method, is the key question. The exception is any method which aborts a child at ANY stage of life (any time after conception) such as an IUD, for example. Abortion is murder.
