Parliamentary hearings on Religion and Health held in Moscow
10.02.2003 · English
PARLIAMENTARY HEARINGS ON RELIGION AND HEALTH HELD IN MOSCOW
The parliamentary hearings on Religion and Health took place at the Danilovsky hotel complex, on 16 January 2003. The event was arranged by the State Duma Committee for Health and Sport and the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate.
Participating in the hearings were representatives of Russia’s traditional religions, federal and regional officials of the legislative and executive branches, clergymen, scholars and doctors.
The president of the State Duma Committee for Health and Sport N. Gerasimenko chaired the meeting.
Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad read out a message of greetings from His Holiness Alexy II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.
Then he gave the key report on the discussed subject. Health of the nation and demographic situation of the country are cardinal problems for Russian society today, Metropolitan Kirill believes: “Recently, the need to develop the economy has become the subject of an increasingly wide speculation, but the question emerges: Does a depopulated country need a developed economy?”
“Even the World Health Organization describes health not only as physical equilibrium, but also as spiritual one,” Metropolitan Kirill said. “There is a visible link between one’s spiritual state and physical health.” He expressed his conviction that if Russian society did not return to spiritual values of Christianity and traditional religions that have moulded the world outlook of the Russian people during many centuries, we would not made Russian society healthier.
Among the speakers also were leader of the Duma People’s Deputy group Gennady Raykov; president of the Russian Academy of Medicine Sciences V. Pokrovsky, Health Deputy Minister T. Stukova, Education Deputy Minister L. Grebnev, as well as State Duma deputies, religious leaders, scholars and doctors.
During the parliamentary hearings, the participants discussed various aspects of cooperation between society and religious associations in the spheres of public health. In particular, they considered the role of religion in forming a healthy way of life, the participation of religious organizations in medical practice, charity and social work, and possible directions and forms of joint action in public health service.
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