"Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov was arguably the father with the most children in Moscow, having created several orphanages," said the head of the Patriarchal Commission on Family, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood, Priest Theodore Lukyanov.
"Father Dimitry was not just a brilliant preacher. He confirmed what he was talking about with his life. He built several orphanages for orphaned children - in honor of Saint Paul the Merciful. He took children there, the ones whom even the state institutions refused,'' Father Feodor told RIA Novosti.
The priest noted that the children themselves perceive these shelters "as a big family."
"In fact, Dimitry Smirnov became a father to hundreds of children. Relatively speaking, he is the father with the most children in Moscow. This is the side of his life that he valued very much, but it was not known to the general public," added the head of the Patriarchal Commission.
Priest Theodore Lukyanov emphasized that many of the children in those orphanages became Christians, created families, and "thank Father Dimitry for showing them the image of love and mercy."
As the head of the Patriarchal Commission on Family Issues, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood, Father Theodore added, Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov “became the first priest in Moscow who began systematic work to prevent abortions”.
"For example, Father Dimitry, back in the early 90's, created the Life Center, which was engaged in scientific and educational work, and printed millions of anti-abortion leaflets. In fact, Father Dimitri created a movement in Russia to protect the life of unborn children,” the priest explained.
The representative of the Church also noted that with Fr. Dimitry's participation, laws were developed to protect the life of a child before birth, in particular, the rule on giving time for reflection to those wishing to have an abortion - the so-called 'week of silence'.
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