Russian parliament to be advised by morality council

Russian lawmakers will soon get their very own council to advise them on moral issues.

According to a report yesterday by Russian newspaper Izvestia quoting a source close to the Duma, the newly created State Duma Council for Culture, Religion and Interethnic Relations will work under the direction of Parliamentary Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, and will focus on the “moral climate in society”, “fostering patriotism” and “preventing extremism in the cultural sphere”.

Russian Orthodox Church representative Alexander Shchipkov, who serves as a voluntary adviser to Mr Volodin, has confirmed that such a board will be established.

It is not yet known who will serve on the council, but Izvestia reports that members will be appointed in a closed session within the next week.

Will we soon be seeing even greater cooperation between officials and the Orthodox church with regard to moral acceptability of the type we have seen in relation to the film Matilda? Centring on ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska and her relationship with Nicholas II, Matilda (dir. Alexey Uchitel) is not set for release until October 2017, but has already been the subject of considerable controversy and criticism both from representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and government officials.

Source: The Moscow Times