Declaration of the Christian Inter-Confessional Advisory Committee for the CIS-Countries and Baltics (Moscow, 4 February 2010)

We, representatives of the Christian churches of the CIS-countries and Baltics – Orthodox, Catholics and Protestants, who have gathered in Moscow, consider it imperative to raise our voices in defence of the traditional norms of Christian morality. We express our alarm regarding the departure from traditional principles of Christian ethics apparent in some Christian communities. This clouds the distinction between good and evil and causes people to lose the reliable and faithful points of reference they are in need of on their route to salvation.

Without ignoring our differences and without wanting to indulge in theological compromise, we jointly intend to protect that on which we agree: our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His holy commandments.

Before the outside world, we desire to jointly defend the fundamental truths of Christian dogma.

We are convinced that Christian communities cannot be headed by persons who openly declare as normative that which the Scriptures clearly describe as sin and do not wish to repent or be corrected thereby (Titus 1:7-10).

We stand up for the protection of human life from conception up to its natural end. A person does not have the right to terminate his/her own life or the life of another at any stage. According to Christian tradition, murder, abortion and euthanasia are mortal sins.

We consider as inadmissible experiments with human nature such as cloning and the utilisation of stem cells from terminated human embryos.

We regard the marital union of man and woman as the God-given form of family relationship (Genesis 2:23-24). So-called unisex unions dare not be equated with marriage. A society striving for well-being must support the institution of the family as the union of one man and one woman while creating the conditions necessary for the birth and upbringing of children.

We are ready to cooperate with all Christians sharing our position and to dialogue with those who do not agree with our point of view.