The Russian Church suggests fining for abusive language in public places

The Russian Orthodox Church suggests introducing administrative punishment for using abusive language in public places, reports Interfax.

"I think that for saying foul words in public places people should be fined, thus we will break this ugly habit. We should not contaminate our life and environment with the words that should not be said," head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk said on air of his program Church and the World on Rossiya 24 TV chanel.

He says that the Church cares much about it telling people that words do not only reflect a person's inner condition, but also form corresponding views and attitude to life.

"It is not by chance that the Lord said "everyone will have to give account on the Judgment Day for each idle word they have spoken.” And I think that the Lord will ask very strictly for abusive words from every person," the hierarch said.

He confessed that he had not said a single foul word for fifty years of his life, even when he served in the army.
"First, they laughed at me, mocked at me for not speaking foul language. But at the end of my service term they did not use abusive language in my presence, so I managed to protect my position. It was not simple, especially in the beginning, as a young soldier is subjected to various mockeries and scorn, and here I had such a peculiarity. But I did not step aside from my principle and in the end I felt that people were embarrassed to use abusive language when I am near," the Metropolitan said.

How President of the Russian Academy of Education Ludmila Verbitskaya noted in the program in her turn, she cannot understand "the ease with which even educated people, intelligent find it possible in some cases to use abusive language."

"I absolutely agreed that it should be punished," she said.