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The leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, whom Pope Francis warned against becoming an “altar to Putin,” is the target of the latest wave of economic sanctions the European Union is preparing to unleash against Moscow for invading Ukraine.
Patriarch Kirill was identified in an EU document viewed by the AFP on Wednesday as “a longtime ally of President Vladimir Putin who has become one of the most prominent supporters” of Russia’s bloody war in Ukraine.
Russia’s phased oil embargo and sanctions against family members of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov are also part of economic measures the EU is proposing to implement, AFP added.
Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church celebrated Easter at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, April 23.
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The proposed sanctions come after a spokesman for the Russian Orthodox Church said last month that “imposing sanctions on religious leaders is nonsense, rejecting common sense,” the Catholic News Agency reported.
Catholic bishops and cardinals in Poland, Germany, Ireland and Luxembourg have reportedly called on Cyril to condemn the war in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends the Orthodox Easter Liturgy led by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill at Christ the Savior Cathedral on Sunday, April 24, in Moscow, Russia. (Getty Images)
But Pope Francis revealed in an interview Tuesday that he had a 40-minute video conversation with Cyril on March 16th – half of which he said Cyril spent reading from a piece of paper “with all the excuses for war.”
“We [the pope and Kirill] are pastors of the same people of God. That is why we must look for ways of peace, to stop the fire of weapons, “Francis told the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, according to Reuters.” The patriarch cannot become an altar to Putin. ”
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, left, and Pope Francis talk during a meeting at Jose Marti Airport in Havana, Cuba, in February 2016 (Adalberto Roque / Photo of the pool via AP)
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Recently, Kirill blessed a lavish service of Russian soldiers invading Ukraine.
“We must be very strong. When I say ‘we’, I mean first and foremost the armed forces,” Kiril said.
And Kirill was quoted as saying, “Russia has never attacked anyone.”
“It is amazing that a great and powerful country has never attacked anyone – it is just defending its borders,” Kiril said in a sermon on Tuesday.
Lauren Green of Fox News contributed to this report.
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