Raising a family is a special form of creative spiritual and social labor -- shared labor carried out in the name of mutual understanding, support, and happiness.
A marriage cannot be fully complete without children. Children are a spiritual, and not merely a biological continuation of the lives of the husband and wife. Today, in contrast, the carnal side of human reproductive functions is shameless exploited for commercial purposes. As a result many in the young generation have lost their capacity to reconcile biological instincts with the principles of love and moral responsibility. Defending the ideals of purity and moral beauty in the relationship between man and woman is a common mission of humanity in the 21st century.*
While emphasizing the existential spiritual value of paternity and maternity, we must give at least as much attention to the material conditions that are necessary for children to fully develop. The life which parents give to the child must not be reduced to the mere physical birth of the child. A human childhood is unthinkable without parental care, education, and sufficient material security. No social or state institution can replace the family. The future of humanity depends absolutely on the cohesion, love and sense of responsibility of the family.
* Programmatic Document of the 13th Worldwide Russian People’s Council, "Future Generations are the National Endowment of Russia", May 23, 2009.
