The Russian Orthodox Church is ready to cooperate with the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation and to advise specialists in the preparation of the curriculum and textbooks for the subject "Spiritual and moral culture of Russia" (formerly "Fundamentals of spiritual and Moral culture of the peoples of Russia"). This was announced to TASS by Vladimir Legoyda, chairman of the Synodal Department of the Moscow Patriarchate for Church-Society Relations and the Media.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia announced the return of the subject to grades 5-7 at Christmas educational readings, which will be taught by history teachers. The head of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, Sergey Kravtsov, clarified that the item would return on September 1, 2026. Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, in an interview with TASS, stated that for the successful teaching of the course it is necessary to develop a program and textbooks, as well as train teachers.
"We are usually always in consultation with the Ministry of Education. There are no subjects without textbooks, so, of course, when creating textbooks, we will certainly have a dialogue. The Russian Orthodox Church is ready to advise on the creation of a program on the subject, there will be interaction," he said.
Legoyda also approved the decision of the Ministry of Education to teach the subject specifically to history teachers. "Because it used to be taught by teachers of various subjects, relatively speaking, they took hours. The Patriarch attaches great importance to the fact that issues of spiritual and moral culture are studied in secondary schools. This is absolutely true, because the world of religious culture is a world that can and should be explored throughout one's life. It can only be perceived positively here that it extends to other classes," he explained.