Moscow, October 5, 2016
Photo: Pravoslavie.ru
On Tuesday the new children’s ombudsman under the President of the Russian Federation Anna Kuznetsova called for applying every effort to promote family life in Russian society, to support families, and to revive spiritual and moral traditions in family relations and child-rearing, reports RIA-Novosti.
“Today we must create all possible conditions for the popularization of family life in Russian society, maintaining the social stability of every family, and reviving and preserving spiritual and moral traditions in family relations and child-rearing because a child can only be happy living in a large and closely-knit family,” Anna Kuznetsova said in her statement to participants of the VI Moscow All-Church Congress dedicated to social ministry.
The ombudsman has noted that today the Russian Orthodox Church is making a great contribution to helping orphaned children and families in difficult life situations. “The main thing is that the Church’s sacrificial service to people in trouble is an example that society can follow. Its volunteers are modern heroes who by their labors and faith give hope to the most vulnerable strata of the population, and sometimes it’s the last hope,” she believes.
Kuznetsova has also added that such volunteer work is being carried out in most institutions for children across Russia and that it’s no coincidence as a number of Synodal decisions were made in the Church, aimed at stimulating Church-wide work to aid orphaned children and support Church-based asylums.
His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has also noted the development of Church activities intended for helping the needy. “New projects are appearing, popular initiatives are being put into action, due attention is being devoted to professional training and coordinating the activity of Orthodox social workers, which is in large part achieved through the efforts of the Synodal Department for Church Charity and Social Ministry,” the primate of the ROC stressed in his statement.
On October 4 the VI All-Church Congress on Social Ministry opened in Moscow. Heads and staff workers of diocesan social departments, head nurses of charity sisterhoods, and directors of Church charity organizations from all over Russia and abroad are taking part in it. Questions related to aid to women in crisis situations, the prevention of abortions, family support, motherhood and childhood, organizating assistance to elderly people and other topical issues of Church social ministries are being discussed at the congress.
