In the Siberian area of Tomsk, the head of a Russian Orthodox Church describes single mothers as "blyad"- a taboo word which translates to "whore".
According to the Moscow News, Maksim Stepanenko, the head of the church's missionary department wrote an article entitled, " So many whores in Tomsk! We have no future!" in response to the figures showing that out of the 14,401 births in the region last year, 28% was out of wedlock.
In the article posted in the church's website, Stepanenko referred to these single mothers' children as having "a future without Christ, and a future with fornication and homosexuality", which were "more likely to become criminals and sociopaths". He referred to these children as the same as those who are growing up in "modern Europe". During the second world war, most single mothers in Russia only became single because their husbands are in the front line.
The lengthy article was posted in the church's website k-istine.ru last December 4 and drew a number of criticisms almost immediately.
The rest of the Russian Orthodox distanced themselves to Stepanenko's article, in which they referred to as a "personal opinion". Other church leaders criticized Maksim and his article, with Archdeacon Andrei Kurayev writing in a LiveJournal post that those mothers who choose to keep their child instead of going through an abortion deserve respect. He added that Stepanenko should look for another job.
Like Russia, the figures of single mothers have also spiked in the US this year, as the country's census bureau reveals that 62% of new moms are in their 20's and are unmarried. This cluster of women is known as generally disadvantaged, as majority of them is living in the poverty line.
Stepnanenko has since deleted his article replaced it with a new version, explaining himself in defense of what he previously wrote.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
