Italy has joined Bulgaria in raising objections to European Union plans to sanction Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill, an outspoken ally of the Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin who has repeatedly defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas proposed a visa ban on Kirill as part of the bloc’s 21st sanctions package against Russia, but was met with resistance from Bulgaria due to its large Orthodox population, as well as formal “reservation” from Rome. JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Three EU diplomats who confirmed the information spoke on condition of anonymity to Politico. According to one of them, Rome’s concern stems from the Vatican and centers mainly on unease about sanctioning the leader of a Christian denomination. A spokesperson for Italy’s permanent representation to the EU reportedly declined to comment on the matter. Kirill’s role in backing the war Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has been one of the most prominent religious figures in supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, framing the war as a historic battle against the “forces of evil.” The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) filed criminal charges against him in absentia a year into the war, in 2023, accusing him of “justifying” the invasion and being part of the inner circle of Russia’s political and military leadership. Other senior Russian Orthodox clergy have echoed similar rhetoric tying the war to religious and moral themes. In February, Bishop Pitirim Tvogorov of the Skopin Diocese claimed that occult practices and abortions in Russia had angered God and prolonged the conflict, remarks that drew criticism as part of a broader pattern of Russian religious leaders framing the invasion in spiritual terms.