"In the period before 1950, two continuing concerns among Orthodox writers were abortion and conception control. The latter issue was raised and promoted by Serapheim Papakostas in Greece. In 1933 he published a book on the subject, in which he used theological, philosophical, medical, and demographic arguments to condemn all forms of birth control. Papakostas subsequently authored the text of an Encyclical by the Holy Synod of Greece on the topic, issued in 1937, which condemned birth control practices. It was supported in subsequent works by Meletios Galanopoulos and Gabriel Dionysiatou in the mid-1950s. Almost four decades were to pass before Papakostas' book was to be seriously challenged in Orthodox circles."