EU Drops Patriarch Kirill from 21st Sanctions Package; Bulgaria and Italy Object

The European Union's 21st sanctions package against Russia initially included Moscow Patriarch Kirill, but he was removed after pressure from Bulgaria. Italy later joined the objections, citing the Vatican's diplomatic stance. Bulgaria justified its position with religious, historical, and propaganda risks, arguing that sanctions against a spiritual leader would be counterproductive and give Moscow a tool for anti-European propaganda.

Patriarch Kirill is the canonical spiritual leader of tens of thousands of Latvian citizens who belong to the Latvian Orthodox Church (LOC). Although under Latvian law the LOC is independent from Moscow, it remains canonically subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church. The exact number of LOC members is unclear – the Ministry of Justice data shows about 180,000 active members, while the church itself previously reported around 370,000 faithful.

In 2022, Latvia passed a law declaring the LOC fully independent, but the church's canonical ties to Moscow persist. This was evident when LOC Metropolitan Alexander refused to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I during his visit to Latvia in September 2025, thus maintaining the connection with the Moscow Patriarchate.

Another example of the LOC's dependence on Moscow is the status of Bishop Jānis (Aivars Lipšāns) of Valmiera. He was consecrated in August 2023 to comply with Latvian law, but the Moscow Patriarchate considers this consecration a canonical violation. The bishop's name does not appear on the LOC's official list of bishops, even though he performs pastoral duties. This ambiguous situation reflects the internal contradiction between Latvian state law and Moscow-imposed canons.