Europe should follow Russia's example in adopting laws designed to preserve family life, such as its ban on propagating "homosexual propaganda" to children, a church official said last week.
"I believe that this law is necessary, and it was adopted in a very timely manner," Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Church Relations said in a Friday interview with Italian media portal AsiaNews. "Moreover, I think that the same laws should be brought in other countries, instead of those norms that have been introduced in a number of European Union countries, where same-sex couples are given the right to adopt children," he added.
Hilarion said Western countries' polices on the issue were "self-defeating" because same-sex unions lead not only to the destruction of the family but "sign the death warrant of whole nations," in demographic terms.
"There is an acute demographic crisis [in] many European countries under the influence of secular ideologies, advertising, and a consumer-driven attitude to life," Hilarion said. "They should take an example from Russia…We want strong families to be revived in Russia, so that our families have many children."
Russia's so-called "gay propaganda" law came into force at the end of June. The law sets out fines for disseminating information to children on "non-traditional sexual relationships" of 5,000 rubles ($150) for individuals to 1 million rubles ($33,000) for legal entities. Media outlets found in violation of the law may also be forced to discontinue their activities for 90 days.
The law has provoked widespread criticism abroad, with some gay activists saying it should be met with a boycott of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, to be held in the Russian city of Sochi in February.
Recent polls in Russia show, however, that a majority of the nation supports the new law, reflecting Russian society's predominantly conservative attitude toward homosexuality.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
