EU drops Patriarch Kirill from new sanctions package draft
Bulgaria and Italy secured the removal of the Russian Orthodox Church’s leader from the EU sanctions list.
The European Union has removed Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, from the draft of its 21st sanctions package against Russia, Ukrainska Pravda reports.
The decision was made at the request of Bulgaria and Italy, which opposed restrictions targeting religious leaders. The draft was significantly watered down ahead of the final vote scheduled for July 13 in Brussels.
Bulgaria was the first country to demand that the ROC leader be removed from the sanctions list, with Italy later joining the initiative. EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the final version of the scaled-back restrictions in the near future.
As the UOJ reported, Patriarch Daniel supported Bulgaria’s refusal to back sanctions against the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.
