Sanctions against Patriarch Kirill will not affect his activities in any way – Russian Church

Moscow, May 10, Interfax – The Russian Orthodox Church stressed that sanctions which the European Commission plans to impose on Patriarch Kirill will not affect his activities and the life of Russian Church in any way.

"As for His Holiness the Patriarch, I think that no sanctions will prevent him from continuing his activities, which are aimed at consolidating Russian society, which are aimed at pastoral care of the entire multi-million flock of the Russian Orthodox Church and which are aimed at achieving peace between fraternal Slavic peoples as soon as possible," Metropolitan Hilarion, the head of the Synodal Department for External Church Relations, said on air of the program theChurch and the WorldonRussia-24TV.

In his opinion, the patriarch's statements are viewed in the West through the prism of the propaganda that is being carried out in the media, and Western politicians cannot give an adequate assessment of these statements.

"Therefore, if they impose sanctions, this is, of course, their right, we cannot influence this in any way, but these sanctions will not affect the life of the Russian Orthodox Church in any way," the metropolitan concluded.