German authorities denied Archimandrite Simeon (Tomachinsky) of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) a Schengen entry visa due to concerns about a potential threat to public order.
This was reported on May 2 by the publication Sota, citing the archimandrite himself, according to DW.
Simeon (Tomachinsky), an associate professor at the Moscow Theological Academy, applied for a visa to Germany to attend the Congress of Orthodox Youth, which is scheduled to take place in Cologne from June 3 to 7.
"Hallelujah! I have become persona non grata in the European Union. Today, I received a denial of my German Schengen visa with the following statement: 'One or more member states consider you a threat to public order or internal security,'" Simeon wrote on his Telegram channel on April 30.
Simeon openly supports the narratives of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian propaganda. He has compared fallen Ukrainian soldiers to sinners in hell and does not recognize the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, according to reports from Sota.
The cleric has repeatedly expressed support for Putin's plans to seize Ukraine. At the outset of the full-scale invasion, he published posts expressing his approval, as reported by the Telegram channel "Christians Against War!".
"I find it hard to attribute the denial of a visa to participate in purely religious events to my own actions. Although, in a way, this is a form of recognition, it seems more like open discrimination against the Russian Orthodox Church. The persecution of the Church has extended its reach, from Ukraine to the entire European Union," Simeon stated on Telegram.