An unprecedented step. Patriarch Kirill acknowledges civil marriage

According to glavcom.ua: Senator Andrey Kliszyas published a letter from the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, expressing support for a draft law that provides a certain legal status to the partners of deceased occupiers in the war. According to information from the 'Glavkom' portal, the patriarch states in the letter that 'the circumstances of the special military operation are not ordinary.'

Many occupiers went to the front without having time to register their marriage while living in a stable union with a woman, often having children together. The Russian Orthodox Church, according to the patriarch, 'cannot condemn such relationships' and considers it reasonable to recognize their special status if it concerns a real family, even if not legally formalized.

The Russian Orthodox Church effectively allows for the possibility of adjusting the traditional view on extramarital cohabitation under exceptional circumstances. The proposed draft law suggests providing certain social guarantees to women who lived in an unregistered marriage with deceased Russian terrorists, provided there is documentary evidence of their joint life and the presence of children.

Experts note that the church's acknowledgment of extramarital cohabitation is an unprecedented step that could affect not only social practice but also the further development of public morality. Previously, the Russian Orthodox Church stated the unacceptability of civil marriage and urged that it not be considered a norm of life.

According to information from Senator Andrey Kliszyas's publication, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, supported the draft law that provides a certain legal status to the partners of those who died in the war, who were not legally married to the occupiers. This may indicate the beginning of changes in the church's position regarding extramarital relationships and further discussions on this topic.