CWN - As the Synod of Bishops discusses pastoral care for the family, a representative of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God, in Moscow, has spoken with the AsiaNews service about the unique problems of Russian family life.
Father Mikhail Nuzkovsky said that high rates of alcoholism and divorce, coupled with a low birth rate, have put special pressures on Russian families. He also cited the difficulties of mixed marriages, in which one party is Catholic and the other Orthodox. In many cases, he reported, Orthodox priests refuse to give permission for such unions, in spite of the formal policy of the Russian Orthodox Church.
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