Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia and Metropolitan Irinej of Bačka received Metropolitan Antonios of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for External Church Relations of the Patriarchate of Moscow, at the Church of Saint Sava in Vračar.
Metropolitan Antonios was accompanied by his clerical delegation, which included Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia; Archpriest Igor Yakimtschuk, Deputy Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations; and Priest Nikolai Vasin, Secretary to the President of the Department for External Church Relations.
The interlocutors thoroughly examined the situation in the Orthodox world, particularly the suffering of the autonomous Orthodox Church of Ukraine. They also outlined prospects for developing Russian-Serbian interchurch relations and discussed other important matters for the two fraternal churches.
During the meeting, Patriarch Porfirije spoke with Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. He expressed his love for the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, saying it is equal to the love and respect that the Serbian people have cultivated for centuries for the Russian people and the Russian Orthodox Church. Patriarch Kirill thanked the Primate of the Serbian Orthodox Church, emphasizing the importance of spiritual unity between the two churches and their peoples.
