The chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood, Priest Feodor Lukyanov, expressed hope that the Russian Government and the State Duma would speedily coordinate and adopt a bill banning the adoption of Russian children in countries where gender reassignment is allowed.
– We welcome such initiatives. It is completely unacceptable for us that citizens of foreign countries adopting or adopting Russian children can persuade them to "change their gender" after moving to their country, Father Feodor told RIA Novosti.
The head of the relevant Patriarchal Commission noted that the Church is urgently asking, including the updated composition of the Russian Government and relevant departments, "to accelerate the procedure for approving this draft law, on the adoption of which the life and safety of our children depend."
– In this case, bureaucratic delays can turn into a tragedy. We hope that this bill will be introduced and adopted immediately," added Priest Theodore Lukyanov.
The cleric noted that today there are about 80 countries in the world where "transgender transition" is recognized or sex reassignment surgery is possible.
– It is monstrous that in many countries "sex change" is allowed for children. In our opinion, this is a crime and violence against a child, since he is very susceptible to the influence of others and still cannot make an informed decision. As a rule, after adoption and export outside the Russian Federation, Russian children become victims of anti–human gender ideology, and Russia no longer has the tools to save our children," the representative of the Russian Church explained.
Father Theodore recalled that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill has repeatedly pointed out the need to establish a ban on the adoption of children in countries where sex change is allowed, "thus expressing concern about the fate of our little fellow citizens."
– The position of the Russian Orthodox Church on gender reassignment is set out in the "Fundamentals of the Social Concept" and is not subject to revision. The Church considers gender reassignment as violence against the divine nature of man," concluded the chairman of the Patriarchal Commission on Family, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood.
It is clarified that on May 20, 2024, the head of the State Duma Committee on Security, Vasily Piskarev, announced that "the bill on the introduction of a complete ban on adoption for countries where sex change in any format is allowed" is in the final stage of completion.