Russian Orthodox leader warns against Western 'pseudo values'
Patriarch Kirill also warned Russians against interfering with "God's plan"
MOSCOW (AFP) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church on Thursday delivered a historic first address to parliament in which he urged lawmakers to guard against Western "pseudo values".
Speaking to the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, Patriarch Kirill also warned Russians against interfering with "God s plan" by having abortions or using surrogate mothers.
Patriarch Kirill s address was the first time the head of the Russian Orthodox Church had delivered a major address to parliament in post-Soviet Russia.
"The idea of the absolute priority of freedom -- freedom of choice -- and the renunciation of the priority of moral norms have become a timebomb of sorts for Western civilisation," said the top cleric.
He slammed Western countries for legalising same-sex marriages and euthanasia, saying the pattern of behaviour seen in some countries contradicted common sense and the instinct to preserve the human race.
"Our country s ability to withstand the pressure of modern pseudo values, which are harmful for man and human civilisation on the whole, will depend to a great degree on the active stance of Russian lawmakers," he said.
He poured scorn on the proliferation of abortions in Russia and reproductive technology such as surrogate motherhood.
"There are things one cannot joke with," Patriarch Kirill said. "Don t joke with God s plan," he said, adding that those women who cannot have children should adopt.
"That s what our people always did."
He also called for increased financing for Orthodox schools and expressed hope that Thursday s meeting between lawmakers and clerics would strengthen ties between the church, state and society.
The Russian Orthodox Church was suppressed under Communism but has staged an astonishing revival in post-Soviet Russia to become one of the country s most powerful institutions.
The Church has offered unstinting support to President Vladimir Putin throughout his years in power, including throughout the crisis with the West over Ukraine.
Since returning to the presidency for a third term in 2012, Putin has been promoting an unflinchingly conservative agenda in a move aimed at cementing his support among blue-collar workers and elderly Russians, his core backers.
