The family functions best with Christ at its center

Moscow, August 3 (Interfax) - Chairman of the Russian patriarch's commission on family affairs Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov believes that it is possible for families to limit the number of children they want to have, but this should not be done using contraception.

When asked in an interview with the Prikhozhanin (Parishioner) journal whether an Orthodox family can somehow try to limit the number of children it would like to have, Father Dimitry said that "yes, it can, but only through abstention, rather than by using contraception."

The archpriest also spoke against shaping family life only around children.

"Everything in a family, including the children, should center on Christ. But if everything is focused on the children, then we'll raise selfish people," he said.

When commenting on how to choose a future spouse, Father Dimitry disagreed with the term "life companion," saying that "a companion is something temporary, while marriage is permanent." In this context, he advised young people to wait for at least one year before getting married. "Less than a year is pointless: the probability of a mistake rises in that case," he said.

Father Dimitry also believes that a bride and a groom should spend a great deal of time talking to one another in order to get a true picture of each other, because young people usually try to show off their good side, concealing quite a lot.

"Thus, the time before the wedding should be spent on dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's, and then they can make an 'informed choice,' as it's called today," he said.