The Council of Bishops approved a document on the attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to public blasphemy and slander

February 4, 2011 Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox church approved the document " Attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church to deliberate public blasphemy and slander against Churches".

The document substantiates the need to legislate the punishment for blasphemy and slander in the address of the Church and its ministers.

The document was addressed before of all media, but also in relation to members of the Church who committed blasphemy, it is supposed to apply sanctions: treatment " with the word exhortations, calling for repentance and healing the consequences of what has been done, ”or, in as a last resort, "excommunication from church fellowship".

In cases of blasphemy "on the part of persons not related to Church”, the following set of actions is proposed:

• "Attempt to join relevant media, journalist, political, public or religious figure in negotiations for the purpose of reconciliation and holding an honest and open discussion: if understanding and reconciliation cannot be reached, it is necessary to stop cooperating with them and recommend to the members of the Church do not use these media;

• publication of materials explaining the illegality and social danger of the humiliated human dignity and offended the religious feelings of believers blasphemous or other blasphemous statement;

• assistance to the laity in active response to blasphemous actions using information tools and other actions permitted by law, such as reasoned criticism, boycott, picketing; blessing the laity and their organizations to peaceful civil opposition to blasphemy as varieties of humiliation of the human dignity of believers and insults to their religious feelings;

• filing a complaint against the author blasphemous or other blasphemous material that humiliated human the dignity of believers and offended religious feelings, in self-regulatory journalistic organizations, to arbitration organizations;

• circulation in the prescribed by law to public authorities to resolve the conflict, as well as for the suppression and punishment of actions aimed at defiling religious symbols and to offend the feelings of believers, if any are worn illegal nature;

• indulgence in canonical prohibitions guilty of sinful deeds, if they are Orthodox Christians.

Similar it is proposed to proceed in the same way in case of slander against the Church.

"Church With this document, he wants to protect himself from criticism, passing it off as slander, - quotes "Kommersant" commentary of the director of the Institute of Religion and Law Roman Lunkin.— By this kind of censorship, she involuntarily develops a fear of writing in religious themes. Sources

• The attitude of the Russian Orthodox Church towards intentional public blasphemy and slander against the Church // Patriarchy.ru. 2011. February 4.
• Korobov P. The church put up an information board // Kommersant. 2011. February 7.