Officials in the Russian Orthodox Church will go to great lengths to hide their bling.

Leader Patriarch Kirill I was recently photographed with a $30,000 Breguet on his wrist while sitting at a table during an event.

When the photo was posted on the Church's website, the watch was no longer on Kirill's wrist—but the reflection from the gold timepiece could be seen through the reflection of the table, the New York Times' Michael Schwirtz reports.

According to Schwirtz, the Church photoshopped the watch out of the photo.

He explains: "Watches, particularly those of the high-end Swiss variety, have been problematic for the Russian authorities. Many officials have come under fire after being photographed wearing timepieces with price tags far exceeding their annual salaries."

Kirill denied ever wearing the watch, but finally the Church conceded that they did retouch the watch out of the photo and apologized.

Here's the side-by-side screenshot from the New York Times:

[via Vanity Fair]