Russian Patriarch Says Child Corporal Punishment Is Compatible with Church Teaching

The Russian Orthodox Church called for the removal of criminal statutes against parents who use “reasonable and moderate” physical punishment while raising children. The statement came in response to a new amendment Vladimir Putin signed that downgraded punishment to an administrative statute for first-time offenders convicted of beatings while maintaining a criminal statute for analogous violence committed towards close relatives including children and spouses. In a statement that referred to the law by its popular name “The Ban Against Child Rearing,” the Patriarchate of Moscow said that the legislation is “discriminatory” and will encourage an increase of criminal cases brought against parents and spouses

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