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Russian Church welcomes end of casinos in Russia

The Moscow Patriarchate welcomes closing of gambling establishments all over the country and urges society mutually help victims of gambling addiction, reports Interfax-Religion.

“We’re very glad that we won a victory over outburst of gambling business in the country, we won this victory together – authorities, society, scientists, pedagogues, journalists, clergy, law-enforcement agencies,” head of the Synodal Church and Society Department Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin has told Interfax-Religion on Tuesday.

According to Fr. Vsevolod, “state leaders and various governmental agencies clearly demonstrated their will and it coincided with the will of overwhelming majority of people.”

“People are tired of gambling games imposed on them, they are tired of numerous human tragedies caused by passion for these games,” the priest said pointing out that “bright ads of gambling halls and casinos promised easy money, but concealed disgusting reality.”

“We know it from the media and I know it from my priestly experience that many people spent their last cent for gambling games. This passion led many people to life tragedy, some even committed suicides when found themselves in debt,” Fr. Vsevolod said.

He believes “gambling games imposed on every street corner deprived people of freedom, made them listen to deceitful promises.”

“Today it has finally become clear that it came to an end and it shows again that we are rather powerful society capable to cope with those who made money on others naivety and numerous human tragedies,” the interviewee of the agency said.

He reminded that many representatives of Orthodox clergy and active laymen “all these years spoke about harm inflicted by gambling and about people who being naïve or having weak will were powerless before gambling games imposed on them and about relatives and friends of gamblers who turned to the Church.”

“Many of these people are unhappy, they need mutual help of priests and doctors and mainly members of their families. We need to open them the true sense of life, help them feel love and care from people around them, not to let one dependence be substituted by the other, to strengthen their will, to make them understand there’re much more interesting and worthy things in life than wasting time on gambling games, drinking alcohol, abusing drugs or sinking in the world of virtual entertainments,” the priest said.

TAGS: Russia Orthodox Church casinos gambling gambling addiction Vsevolod Chaplin

[07/01/2009]

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