May be you know that a lot of discussions take place now in Russia on the issue of possible abolishing of abortion.

According to official statistics the quantity of abortions in Russia for 1993 was three million, for 1994 - aproximately four and a half million. On average, for every child born in Russia were more than two killed by abortion. Horrific facts, arn't they?

Russian Orthodox Church also tries to find reasonable argumentation against abortion... in a very recognizing way - by mentioning gas-chambers as an achievement of mankind.

In the weekly orthodox newspaper "Radonedj" (N2 Mai 1995), blessed by the Most Holy Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexij II some time ago there was published an interview with an archpriest Dmitrij Smirnov, prior of the temple Of the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin in Petrovsky Park (Moscow).

I shall show you only some of the answers of the archpriest to this newspaper:

Journalist: -What to do if I don't want to have children?

Archpries: - Do not have them. But in case you don't want to have neighbours it doesn't mean that you can kill them.

Jornalist: -What you can reccoment to those couples who have a lot of children and living in a poverty?

Archpriest:- They must stop their gender life (?!!), if they think that they have enough children...

Journalist:-What to do if a pregnant woman is dangerously ill (dangerously for an unborn child)? The physicians say that the child will be born ill for sure.

Archpriest: - First, There is no absolute guarantee. Second, this woman has to bear the child. If the child will be ill than she can kill him. And if the child is healthy - she will not kill.

Why to kill before the birth? It is bad. You have to give birth, to breast-feed the child to avoid mastitis, and after you can kill. It is not necessary to tear to pieces anyone. There is a gas-chamber - it is an excellent human discovery.

I am not sure it is necessary to continue.

If you have a wish to communicate with that priest and others who serve in his temple there is E-mail number:

orthomed@glas.apc.org