The Ministry of the Interior of Lithuania has announced that Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, who is a vocal supporter of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has been barred from entry to Lithuania.
As reported by delfi.lt and according to the Ministry of the Interior, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow was included on the list of persona non grata on June 23, on the proposal of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a comment sent to the news agency ELTA, the Ministry of the Interior indicated that the decision to bar entry was approved because in his statements Patriarch Kirill denied Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and sovereignty and supported Russia’s aggressive actions that grossly violated international law and principles.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that the Patriarch is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and one of the most vocal supporters of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Appearing on Russian propaganda media he described the Ukrainian people as “participants of the Nazi regime who should be deported or destroyed”.
On February 27, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow blessed Russian soldiers participating in the war against Ukraine and granted canonical justification for the war.
Meanwhile, the Orthodox Church of Lithuania has claimed that earlier in July it filed a request to be granted autonomy from Moscow.
