A recent official, synodal statement is that of the Church of Russia, arguably the largest Orthodox Church in the world. In ''Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church'' (2000), the Holy Synod declared: "In defining their attitude to the non-abortive contraceptives, Christian spouses should remember that human reproduction is one of the principal purposes of the divinely established marital union (see, X. 4). The deliberate refusal of childbirth on egoistic grounds devalues marriage and is a definite sin." This is consistent, of course, with the pre-1970 view of the Russian Church. --[[User:Fr Lev|Fr Lev]] 01:34, May 8, 2008 (UTC)