Is it permissible to visit cafeterias, cafés, or restaurants? Should one pray openly before and after meals and make the sign of the cross? #

Strictly speaking, Church rules contain prohibitions against eating in taverns. However, it’s important to understand that taverns in ancient times, when these rules were formulated, were not merely “places of public dining.” They were associated with questionable individuals and unrighteous activities. For clergy, there is a strict prohibition against eating in taverns, except in cases where a priest is traveling.

Today, there are various types of establishments: some offer quick meals or takeaway food, others specialize in beverages, some provide full meals, and still others can be rented for events. The services they provide vary accordingly. Restaurants often carry a reputation as places of indulgence, associated with revelry, entertainment, dancing, and the like. Clearly, this cannot be said of a simple pancake house or a small eatery. Therefore, it is advisable for believers to avoid scandalous establishments that cater to debauchery. However, when necessary, eating at a café or having a meal in a cafeteria that adheres to dietary rules is not a sin. In fact, modest establishments often host communal church meals, such as after a patronal feast or the consecration of a church, as well as memorial meals.

Regarding prayer before and after meals, each person should act according to their faith and the circumstances. For example, in areas where people predominantly practice Islam or in countries where Islam is the state religion and Christian preaching is restricted (e.g., Pakistan), openly praying in full before and after a meal in a café might provoke religious conflict. Even in such situations, it is appropriate to cross oneself before eating. This is not a public worship service but an expression of gratitude to the Lord for the food and a confession of faith.

It’s crucial to note that the decision to pray openly or not before and after meals should not be based on feelings of shame. One must never be ashamed of their faith. While it is wise to avoid unnecessary provocations, being ashamed of one’s faith is unacceptable! The Lord Jesus Christ clearly stated that whoever confesses Him before others, He will confess before His Father in heaven, but whoever denies Him before others, He will also deny before His Father in heaven. In the First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes:

“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.”

Therefore, a believer who hesitates to cross themselves in a school cafeteria or during a lunch break at work should reflect on whether this hesitation amounts to denying Christ, who was crucified for our sins.

—Priest Mikhail Rodin