ROCOR bishops create commission to address bioethical issues

Participants in the ROCOR Council of Bishops. Photo: ROCOR website

The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, held in Buchendorf, Germany, resolved to establish a special bioethics commission, according to the Council’s epistle.

Participants in the meeting said the development of modern biomedicine carries serious spiritual dangers for the faithful. According to the hierarchs, the new body is intended to provide pastors and laypeople with clear guidance for the defense of the human person.

In the Council’s final epistle, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the German Eparchy, the bishops emphasized the complexity of today’s challenges. They pointed to the inadmissibility of a situation in which scientific manipulation gives human beings the ability to decide questions of life and death for themselves.

The Council participants paid particular attention to the digital sphere. They warned against a “reckless and uncritical immersion” in the internet, which can draw people away from inner prayer life and living church communion. The hierarchs called on the faithful to use means of communication with discernment.

Earlier, UOJ reported that the ROCOR Council officially announced the beginning of the canonization process for Fr Seraphim (Rose).

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