Russian Orth. Head:Feminism Is Very Dangerous; States a Woman Must Focus on Family, Not Work

The head of the thriving Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, said today (April 9, 2013) that feminism was a "very dangerous" phenomenon, offering an illusion of freedom to women who should focus on their families and children, according to the Reuters website.

Some three-quarters of Russians consider themselves Russian Orthodox Christians and Kirill has fostered increasingly close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin who has portrayed the church as the guardian of Russia's national values.

"I find very dangerous this phenomenon, which is called feminism, because feminist organizations proclaim a pseudo-freedom of women that should in the first place be manifested outside marriage and outside the family," Kirill said at a meeting of an Orthodox women's group.

"Man turns his sight outward, he should work, make money. While a woman is always focused inwards towards her children, her home. If this exceptionally important role of a woman is destroyed, everything will be destroyed as a consequence -- family and, if you wish, the homeland," Patriarch Kirill emphasized.