Patriarch urges Russians to adopt children
January 07, 2013
A week after a leading Russian Orthodox official backed legislation barring adoption of Russian children by US couples, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church urged Russians to adopt orphans. There are over 650,000 orphans in Russia, nearly 1,000 of whom had been adopted by Americans in 2011.
“It is very important for our people to adopt orphans into their families, with joy and a special sense of gratitude to God, giving them not only shelter and an upbringing but also giving them their love,” said Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow in his Christmas message.
Following the Julian calendar rather than the Gregorian, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on January 7.
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Further information:
- Russian Orthodox Church head urges followers to adopt children (Reuters)
- Russian Orthodox Church backs ban on US adoptions (CWN, 12/31)
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Posted by: AgnesDay -
Jan. 07, 2013 1:49 PM ET USA
I am heartened by this message. I think that Russian children who have suffered so much already would be much better served by being taken into a family where they do not have to learn a new language, and who would have been inspired to adopt, not because of frittered-away fertility, but by the word of the Patriarch.
