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Italy voiced opposition to oroposed EU sanctions on Patriarch Kirill of Moscow

July 4, 2026 · 1 min read

Italy has joined Bulgaria in voicing concerns about plans to sanction Russia’s Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, according to three EU diplomats informed on the deliberations, as reported by Politico .

Chief EU diplomat Kaja Kallas has proposed an EU visa ban for Kirill, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin who has repeatedly praised and justified Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, as part of the EU’s 21st package of sanctions against Russia.

But the move has run into objections from Bulgaria, which has a substantial Orthodox population, as well as a “reservation” — diplomatic language for concerns that need to be resolved, short of a veto — from Rome.

The three diplomats were granted anonymity to discuss closed-door deliberations on sanctions. Rome’s concern stems from the Vatican and centers on unease about sanctioning the leader of a Christian denomination, according to one of the diplomats. A spokesperson from Italy’s permanent representation to the EU declined to comment.

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Source: Orthodox Times · Read the full story →

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Светлана Кузнецова

In Rostov last week, the restoration of the iconostasis was completed in the cathedral - Father John said that the church should not be involved in political games, but here the EU is stubborn, deciding whether to sanction the patriarch as a Christian leader.

Алексей Семёнов

Well done Italy for at least putting up a “reservation”. The Church is not politics, as Father John said about the iconostasis in Rostov. And Kaya Callas doesn’t seem to understand at all who she’s dealing with.