Oligarchs to patriarchs: EU eyes sanctions for Orthodox head

By NICOLE WINFIELD and SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — European Union diplomats say the EU plans to sanction the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in its next round of measures to punish Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The proposal to sanction Patriarch Kirill must be approved by the 27-member bloc. Kirill, the head of one of the largest and most influential churches in Eastern Orthodoxy, has justified Russia’s invasion on spiritual grounds, describing it as a “metaphysical” battle against the West and its “gay parades.” The Russian Orthodox Church immediately criticized the proposed measures Wednesday, and vowed they wouldn’t intimidate Kirill and would just prolong the conflict.