The Russian Orthodox Church is turning its attention to the work of journalists and to the quality of articles about religious life in Russian press.

      At the beginning of August the church announced a new scheme where media mistakes can be mailed to its information department. Later the church plans to publish a catalog of errors – with corrections – in the hope of developing a common standard for reporting of religious affairs. 

      "We don't plan to impose censorship, we just want to help journalists in their work. Every theme - sport or education - demands its own terminology. And church and religion are not exceptions", Vladimir Legoida, chairman of the church’s information department, said. 

      Yelena Zhosul, organizer of the project, said that within three days there had been “dozens” of letters from readers picking out errors and inaccuracies. A frequent mistake was describing clergymen as “holy fathers” (Svyatiye Otsy in Russian), an expression reserved for saints rather than even the most senior clerics.

        “The initiative has been met with understanding, especially among the clergy. There are many messages from clergymen in our mailbox", Yelena Zhozul said.

Sources: Lenta.ru (1), (2) The Moscow News