The Russian Orthodox Church is planning to open a hot line later this month to help fight "superstition" and promote the practice of confession instead, RIA-Novosti reported.
The phone line will allow people interested in religion to get clear answers from an operator about the practices of the church and reasons to attend services. Operators will have a higher theological education.
In a statement, the church said the program is designed to help believers who "found themselves under the influence of destructive cults and sects."
"People come to church and cannot always get a full answer to their questions because the priest may be busy or absent," missionary priest Dmitry Berezin told RIA-Novosti. "We want people to be able to get to a clear response with no superstition, which arises as a result of ignorance."
The service will be available to the faithful in Moscow and the surrounding region and will soon be expanded nationwide, the news agency reported.
"The trial run of the project will begin in Moscow and the Moscow region to better understand its strengths and weaknesses," Berezin said. "In the future we plan to launch it at the national level."
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