On January 29, 2026, a plenary session of the XIV Christmas Parliamentary Meetings entitled “Education and Morality: The Formation of the Individual and the Challenges of Our Time” was held at the Federation Council as part of the XXXIV International Christmas Educational Readings. The event was chaired by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, who delivered the keynote address.

Esteemed Valentina Ivanovna, respected senators!
Your Eminences, fellow archpastors, venerable fathers!
Dear brothers and sisters!

I am sincerely pleased to welcome all participants of the fourteenth Christmas Parliamentary Meetings.

I would like to note that the good tradition established over the past years—bringing together members of the upper chamber of our parliament with the Primate of the Church and representatives of the episcopate within the framework of the International Educational Readings—has demonstrated that joint discussion of issues vital to our Fatherland contributes meaningfully to the development of Church–state relations.

A shared responsibility for the fate of the people is the common denominator of the efforts undertaken by the Church and representatives of the legislative authorities of our country, so that Russia’s development may proceed steadily and successfully. This concerns not only the strengthening of state sovereignty, but also spiritual sovereignty, so that the people may grow morally, unlocking their intellectual, cultural, and creative potential for the good of the Fatherland and for the salvation of their souls.

By salvation, we believers, of course, mean the Kingdom of Heaven; yet the Kingdom of Heaven begins here, on earth. If a person has hell in his soul, if his consciousness is darkened, if he is incapable of distinguishing good from evil, then this hell will continue into eternity. There are no secrets here—everything is revealed: if you wish to be happy here on earth, live according to the law that God has implanted in your nature, and you will be happy. And this happiness will extend not only over 60, 70, or 80 years of earthly life, but into eternity.

Therefore, I would like once again to emphasize that the Church shares a special responsibility for the fate of our people—undoubtedly together with those representatives of the authorities who are in accord with the defense of traditional values. The Church does not participate in political struggle, and therefore political polemics are alien to her; but this does not mean that the Church should refrain from defending God’s truth. That truth must be defended, including through dialogue with those who challenge it.

In recent times, the legislative authorities have undertaken significant efforts to ensure the successful and steady development of our country. This process involves not only the authorities but also civil society, as we now say, and all genuine patriots of Russia. And once again, this concerns not only the defense of Russia’s state sovereignty—without which independent national development is impossible—but also the need to safeguard spiritual sovereignty.

The achievement of this strategic goal largely depends on how carefully we preserve our national spiritual and cultural heritage, whose core is the Christian faith and Orthodox tradition. However lofty it may sound, the future of Russia and the world directly depends on our ability to firmly and collectively defend the religious identity of the state-forming Russian people and to protect Christian moral values in public life.

Russia’s high calling to preserve the leaven of the Gospel in a world afflicted by evil is clearly recognized abroad as well. We know that many foreign citizens seek refuge by moving to our country. In their home states, adherence to divinely commanded moral principles can cost a person their job or even their freedom. Russia is perceived in the world as a defender of traditional values and an ark of salvation. This is not my invention or a metaphor that arose while working on this text—it comes from my conversations with people, including our brothers and sisters currently living in Western Europe. Thanks be to God, on August 19, 2024, the President of Russia, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, signed a decree supporting foreigners who share Russian values and reject the imposed neoliberal ideology. These people can now obtain temporary residence permits through a simplified procedure, though we know that for many, temporary residence becomes permanent.

Believing citizens—who constitute the majority in Russia—expect tangible results and concrete decisions from the dialogue between the Church and the state, including improvements in legislation and the protection of values traditional to our people. These expectations are especially intense today, as our country conducts a special military operation and our soldiers at the front, facing death daily and answering the fundamental question of the meaning of life, heroically defend the foundational values of our people: truth, goodness, and justice. Remembering the heroism of our warriors, we have no right to succumb to fear or laziness—regrettably, such tendencies also exist in our spiritual life. On the contrary, this reality should seriously stimulate all aspects of our life.

I would now like to say a few words about achievements. It is encouraging to note that over the years our dialogue within the framework of the Christmas Parliamentary Meetings has produced many concrete positive results in improving legislation. I would especially like to thank you, dear Valentina Ivanovna, for your personal contribution, as well as all public representatives working in the Federation Council, the State Duma, and other state bodies who attentively heed the voices of their constituents. I am particularly grateful for the attention given to the voice of the Church, which also expresses the opinions, expectations, and concerns of millions of our fellow citizens.

One of the anticipated outcomes of the past year was the legislative protection of national symbols from distortion, including the inappropriate removal of crosses from heraldic signs and images of churches. A Russian person cannot be ashamed of the heritage of their country or the symbols accompanying the historical path of the state-forming Russian people. It was astonishing to observe how official emblems of state institutions were stripped of crosses one after another; crosses even began disappearing from public images of churches, including in the mass media. Ultimately, the state’s position was clearly defined in law.

Much is also being done by the authorities to protect the family, children’s lives, motherhood, and traditional Russian values. I was pleased to learn that at the end of December nearly 150 deputies of the State Duma introduced a bill enshrining the concept of a child’s blood family in the Family Code, aimed at ensuring that children deprived of parental care are placed primarily with relatives rather than strangers. This is a very important step, and I hope it will receive broad legislative support.

Now to certain challenges and tasks. Despite our progress, many unresolved issues remain in our dialogue, requiring courage, determination, and consistency. I would like all those intending to participate in parliamentary elections this year and enter the new convocation of the State Duma to hear this—these are highly promising areas of parliamentary work involving critically important lawmaking tasks.

First, legislative protection of life in the mother’s womb is essential. This remains one of the most complex topics. After years of discussion, positive movement has emerged: 820 private medical organizations have voluntarily renounced licenses to perform abortions—30% of all licensed institutions. Authorities in all 89 constituent entities of the Russian Federation are now engaged in efforts to reduce the killing of children in the womb. Practices protecting women’s right to motherhood, reproductive health, and support in difficult life situations are being widely implemented.

We must understand that our country is in a state of demographic instability. We possess vast territory, yet population density is uneven. In such circumstances, every human life must be regarded as priceless. And yet thousands of abortions are performed annually in Russia—not as tragic necessity, but as routine services. Such figures must be overcome; we must achieve entirely different outcomes.

It must be said repeatedly: this concerns a grave sin. Sin is a crime not so much against people as against God. Moreover, we are a vast country, and we desperately need to be a large people. This is a geopolitical argument, yes, but one that is also vital, especially for those who think in terms of statehood.

And if we speak not of geopolitics, but of morality and human feelings? The birth of a child may involve material difficulties, but these are compensated through the upbringing of the child—especially when that upbringing is worthy, when the child becomes a support for parents and passes on this profound experience of love within a strong and united family.

When a child is killed in the womb, the most fundamental internal barrier is destroyed. If the life of the unborn is not sacred, if it is discarded as waste—pardon such terrible words—then is life itself sacred? Any murderer could ask: why is it allowed in one case and forbidden in another? If abortion is viewed as the conscious killing of a human being—a child meant to grow, mature, and experience all that God intended—then why is murder punished in one case but socially permitted in another? No, it is not permissible. It is impossible.

Accessible abortion breeds cynicism and irresponsibility—qualities destructive to any nation, but mortally dangerous in the time of trials we now face. It is time to end the situation in which private clinics profit from abortions, ignoring the “week of silence,” failing to provide genuine counseling, concealing the real scale of interventions, and deliberately persuading women to terminate pregnancies—that is, to kill their children. This occurs because abortions generate income. It is a business: more abortions mean greater profit.

I was deeply troubled by the recent decision of the Ministry of Health[1] to exclude qualified medical psychologists from mandatory perinatal councils, allowing doctors alone to decide on pregnancy termination. In effect, no one will dissuade women from abortion. Does this align with the state’s policy of preserving the population and boosting birth rates?

If we want population growth, how can we ignore what obstructs this path—what prevents our people from developing our immense resources and becoming truly great, not merely in name or history, but in real strength, which cannot exist without sufficient population across such a vast territory?

I consider it absolutely necessary to develop federal legislation criminalizing coercion toward abortion and propose moving toward a complete ban on abortions in private medical institutions, where oversight of ethical and legal norms is virtually impossible. This practice has already shown positive results in several regions. While this will not solve demographic issues entirely, it will certainly be a step in the right direction—a step we must take.

It is also noteworthy that Article 56 of the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of Public Health Protection in the Russian Federation,” titled “Termination of Pregnancy,” still stipulates that abortion decisions are made by a single individual—the mother. Meanwhile, as our President rightly noted, decisions concerning children should be made by the family, not one parent. I believe it would be appropriate to make abortion impossible based solely on the mother’s decision, without the consent of the child’s father—at least in cases of registered marriage. This concerns the family. A woman’s psychological state may be unstable; emotions may prevail. But when the husband is present, he can help restore balance and positively influence his wife to prevent a grave crime against the family and herself.

I would also like to address the protection of the nation’s mental health, which is likewise connected to morality and is vital for our future. Unfortunately, legislative efforts to limit the activities of organizations and individuals promoting occult and pseudoscientific practices—astrology, witchcraft, fortune-telling—have stalled. Can we not put an end to this obscurantism? In Soviet times, obscurantism was fought, though tragically religion was included in that struggle. Today, thank God, religion has returned to its rightful place, but obscurantism persists. These practices exert mass manipulative influence, leading to psychological abuse and financial exploitation, especially of the elderly and vulnerable. Families are destroyed, mental health is damaged, and in some cases, these practices amount to outright fraud disguised as rituals.

Many people come to priests after visiting fortune-tellers or psychics, purchasing “amulets,” undergoing “rituals,” or learning alleged details about their future—unable afterward to escape anxiety and fear. The state cannot remain indifferent to phenomena that undermine mental and spiritual health and erode the foundations of Christian culture.

Another important topic is the legal status of military clergy. Despite the priority of the special military operation, the legal status of military priests remains unregulated. There is resistance from certain military educational circles—perhaps due to fear of losing monopoly or imagined competition. This is fundamentally misguided. The entire pre-revolutionary history of Russia’s armed forces involved military clergy. On the front lines today, 150 priests serve, risking their lives. Their presence strengthens soldiers’ morale—this is reality, not propaganda. Yet without legal status, this ministry cannot develop. I urge legislators to address this issue.

An equally vital matter is the protection of the Russian language and the fight against profanity. The law prioritizing Russian in public informational spaces—from advertising to residential names—was timely and important. However, state protection must also address obscene language, which has become epidemic across ages, media, and digital spaces. Language is communication with others; the evil expressed through foul speech spreads outward, infecting society. Profanity destroys not only literary norms but moral foundations, revealing spiritual disorder. This is a national tragedy. Legislative protection of linguistic purity is respect for our culture, history, and future.

Finally, I would like to address online sales of alcohol, tobacco, and energy drinks. I strongly support legislators opposing proposals for online sales via biometric identification. Such measures would destroy countless lives for minimal economic gain. Biometric systems risk total personal control and ideological misuse. Scripture warns of coercive marks—this reminds us of the spiritual dangers of such technologies.

Eradicating obscene language is not folklore—it is a matter of spiritual security. I urge legislators to consider banning profanity in public space as a matter of national destiny.

In closing, I wish to emphasize the importance of your work in building a prosperous nation. You bear immense responsibility—not only before voters, but before God Himself. As King Solomon wrote: “Authority was given you by the Lord, and sovereignty by the Most High, who will examine your works and scrutinize your intentions” (Wisdom 6:3).

I invoke God’s blessing upon you and your labors and wish you true success in serving our Fatherland. Thank you for your work and your attention.

[1] Paragraphs 49–50, Part II of the Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 747n dated December 19, 2025.

Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus’
Photo by Oleg Varov