MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called on Thursday for a deep cut in the "horrifyinglyhigh" number of abortions, which he linked to a Western rejection of moral norms.
莫斯科（路透社）——俄罗斯东正教大牧首Kirill周四呼吁称应该对极高的堕胎数量进行削减，他认为堕胎是西方对道德规范的抛弃。

"The idea of absolutely prioritizing the value of free choice and of rejecting the priority of moral norms hasbecome a slowly exploding bomb for Western civilization," he said in aspeech to law makers.
“将自由选择摆在最优先的位置上以及拒绝道德规范优先性的做法已经渐渐伤害到了西方文明。”
"If we could just cut in half the number of abortions, there would be steady and powerful demographic growth."
“如果我们能将堕胎数量削减一半，那么人口增长将变得稳定和强劲。
Russia's population has been declining since the mid-1990s, hit by falling birth rates and life expectancy in thechaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. It currently stands at142.5 million, compared with 148.7 million in 1991.
自上世纪90年代中期以来，俄罗斯人口就一直在下降，主要是因为苏联解体后出生率和人均寿命下降。目前俄罗斯人口是1.425亿，1991年时是1.487亿。
Kirill's speech was described by state media as the first address by a head of the Russian Orthodox Church to theDuma, or lower chamber of parliament, in modern Russia.
俄罗斯国家媒体称，这是在现代俄罗斯首位向俄罗斯杜马（俄罗斯下院）发表演讲的俄罗斯东正教大牧首。
It was a sign of the church's growing influence under President Vladimir Putin, who has sought to championconservative Russian values at a time of heightened tension with the West,especially over the conflict in Ukraine.
这表明在普京的统治下俄罗斯东正教的影响力越来越大，特别是因为乌克兰原因而与西方关系越发紧张的此时，普京力图拥护保守的俄罗斯价值观。
"Russia's ability to stand up in the face of modern pseudo-values depends to a large extent on the active stance ofRussian parliamentarians," the black-robed patriarch said.
“俄罗斯反抗现代伪价值的能力很大程度上依赖于俄罗斯国会议员的积极立场，”这位黑袍大牧首如是说。