The Russian Orthodox Church initiated a nationwide prayer service this past weekend, encouraging women to reconsider abortion, aligning with government initiatives aimed at reversing the nation’s population decline.

On Sunday, at least 15 regions hosted this newly approved rite, as reported by the business newspaper Kommersant. Approved by the Holy Synod last month, the prayer service is characterized as an “admonition for those considering terminating a pregnancy.”

Certain services featured visual aids from anti-abortion groups, including fetal models provided by a U.S.-based Christian organization, according to the exiled news outlet Mediazona.

A church in Moscow honored “children lost to abortion” by lighting 3,000 candles. State Duma lawmaker Tatiana Butskaya was reportedly present at that service, as noted by the Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti.

In the Novosibirsk region, a priest encouraged women who have undergone abortions to “devote their lives to seeking forgiveness through prayer and helping abandoned children.”

The Russian Orthodox Church connected this anti-abortion prayer service to the Feast of the Holy Innocents, which commemorates the Massacre of the Innocents—an account from the Bible detailing the massacre of 14,000 infants in Bethlehem.

The Rybinsk Diocese in the Yaroslavl region announced that the Russian Orthodox Church has designated this new prayer service to take place annually on January 11, according to the Meduza news website.

In Russia, abortion remains legal upon request until the 12th week of pregnancy; however, discussions about restricting access to abortions have escalated in recent years as the nation faces declining birth rates, natural population decrease, and increasing male mortality.

In 2023, the Russian Orthodox Church took steps to equate abortion with murder, with its leader, Patriarch Kirill, asserting that persuading women against abortions could effectively address Russia’s demographic challenges “like a magic wand.”