ROC supports idea of defining marriage as union between a man and a woman in Constitution - synodal dept head
MOSCOW. Jan 31 (Interfax) - The head of the Russian Orthodox Church's Synodal Department on Liaison between the Church, Society, and the Mass Media, Vladimir Legoida, has expressed support for the proposal to include in the Russian Constitution a provision on protecting traditional family values and defining the concept of family as "a union between a man and a woman."
"The Church has always acknowledged the unconditional nature of the natural moral law according to which family is perceived as a union between a man and a woman established by God, which is expressly and repeatedly stated in the Bible," Legoida told reporters in Moscow on Friday.
"Only a union between a man and a woman based on love and fidelity can bring true happiness to all family members," he said.
The proposal made by the World Russian People's Assembly is based on the traditional concept of marriage, which is shared by people who live in many countries, Legoida said. The concept of marriage as a union between a man and a woman can be found in the constitutions of countries such as Brazil, Cuba, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Paraguay, Colombia, Bolivia, and Ecuador, he said.
The proposal was earlier made by Konstantin Malofeyev, deputy head of the World Russian People's Assembly.