The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is among those to be included in the proposed sixth round of European Union sanctions, according to two sources who have seen the full documents.
The proposed design has been sent to the corresponding ambassadors for review, the sources said.
Names can be removed or added at the discretion of member states at this stage, a European Commission source said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a series of measures on Wednesday, including a ban on Russian oil.
In an interview this week, Pope Francis criticized Kirill for approving Russia’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine, and warned him not to become “Putin’s altar boy.”
In response, the Russian Orthodox Church said Pope Francis had used the “wrong tone” in characterizing his meeting with Patriarch Kirill, calling the Pope’s comments “deplorable”.
“Such statements do not contribute to establishing a constructive dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, which is particularly necessary at this time,” the Ministry of Foreign Relations of the Russian Patriarchate said in a statement. .
What Russia says: The sanctions are not in line with “common sense,” Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida said on Wednesday, according to Russia’s state news agency TASS.
“The more random” [these] sanctions become, the more they lose touch with common sense and the more difficult it becomes to achieve peace, for which the Russian Orthodox Church prays at every service with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, and help to all those affected through the Ukrainian conflict, serve only to confirm his words,” Legoida said in a Telegram message.
“Only those who are completely ignorant of the history of our church can try to intimidate its clergy and believers by compiling some lists,” Legoida said.