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Russian Orthodox Church Launches Nationwide Anti-Abortion Prayer Campaign
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The Russian Orthodox Church held a newly approved nationwide prayer service urging women not to have abortions, according to The Moscow Times on January 12.
Churches in at least 15 regions held the rite on January 11, after the Church’s Holy Synod approved the text on December 26.
The service is described in church materials as an “admonition for those intending to destroy an infant in the womb,” and came as Russian authorities and the Church intensify efforts to address demographic decline.
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The outlet reported that some parishes paired the prayers with displays by anti-abortion groups, including fetal models, while one church in Moscow lit 3,000 candles in tribute to “children killed by abortion.”
The Church linked the date to its commemoration of the Massacre of the Innocents in Bethlehem, and the translated text of the rite includes a petition to “end the wickedness of killing unborn babies,” according to the prayer text published by the Moscow diocese.
The Moscow diocese said clergy were instructed to explain the added petitions during services, and noted the Synod’s decision to introduce the prayers nationwide.
Earlier, it was reported that some Russian Orthodox clergy made unscientific claims that church bells could disable military drones, reflecting efforts by religious figures to engage with contemporary war‑related themes.
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