The abbot of the Church of the Great Martyr Varvara operating at the headquarters of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, Mykhailo Vasiliev, recently issued a scandalous statement on Russian television.
According to the priest, Russian women need to give birth to more children to make it easier for the country to endure a military call-up.
The ROC believes that it would be easier for women to cope with their sons being drafted if they raised several children.
“The Lord allowed every lady by nature to give birth to many children in most cases. … Obviously, it will be not one child but more, in most cases. So, it will not be so painful and scary for her to part with him, even for a while,” said the priest.