The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, is among the individuals who will be included in the proposed sixth round of European Union (EU) sanctions, according to two sources who have seen the full documents.
The proposed draft was sent to the corresponding ambassadors for review, the sources said. At this stage, names can be dropped or added at the discretion of the member state, an EU Commission source said.
On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a series of measures that also include a ban on Russian oil.
In an interview this week, Pope Francis criticized Kirill for endorsing Russia’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine, warning him not to become “Putin’s altar boy.”
In response, the Russian Orthodox Church said Pope Francis used the “wrong tone” in characterizing his meeting with Patriarch Kirill and called the pope’s comments “regrettable.”
“Such statements do not contribute to establishing a constructive dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Russian Orthodox Church, which is particularly needed at this time,” the Russian Patriarchate’s Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
What Russia is saying: Sanctions are out of step with “common sense,” Russian Orthodox Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida said on Wednesday, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
“The more indiscriminate sanctions become, the more they lose touch with common sense and the more difficult it becomes to achieve peace, which is what the Russian Orthodox Church prays for in all services with the blessing of His Holiness the Patriarch, and assistance to all those affected by the Ukrainian conflict, serve only to affirm their words,” Legoida said in a Telegram post.
“Only those who are completely ignorant of our Church’s history can try to intimidate their clergy and believers by compiling a few lists,” Legoida said.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
