The European Commission is proposing sanctions against the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as part of a sixth package of measures in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to AFP news agency..

The Russian people and its Church feel compassion for their spiritual brothers the Greeks and wish their government success in its mission for a socially-directed economy and society, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia said on Thursday, welcoming Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.