MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. Russian Orthodox Church supports the proposal to cement the concept of marriage as a union between a man and a woman in the Russian Constitution, says Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida.

"The Church has always acknowledged the unconditional nature of the natural moral law that views the family as a union of a man and a woman, set by God, which is directly and repeatedly said in the Bible. Only the union of a man and a woman, built on love and loyalty, can deliver true happiness to all members of the family," Legoida said. "We welcome the intention of the constitutional amendment work group co-chair Andrey Klishas to review this proposal."

Constitutional Amendments

On January 15, Russian President Vladimir Putin, signed an order to create a work group on preparation of amendments to Russian Constitution and approved its membership. The group included 75 politicians, lawyers, academic and social figures. Head of the Federation Council (the upper house of parliament) Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building Andrei Klishas, Head of the State Duma Statehood and Constitutional Legislation Committee Pavel Krasheninnikov and Director of the Institute of Legislation and Comparative Law under the Government of the Russian Federation Talia Khabrieva co-chair the task force.

On January 20, Putin introduced a bill on constitutional amendments to the State Duma. It included all proposals expressed by the president in his January 15 address.