His Eminence the Metropolitan of Saint Petersburg and Ladovia, Mr. Varsanufje arrived in Cetinje this evening, to visit the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral. 

In the Cetinje monastery, the high-ranking guest was welcomed by the Most Reverend Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral, Mr. Joanikie.

After the doxology and a short prayer to Saint John the Baptist, Metropolitan Ioannikije greeted the dear guest from Russia with words of welcome "in these bright days of Christ's Passover and ours, when we have had our fill of God's light, God's mercy, God's love and freedom in Christ". 

"You have brought us another joy, the joy of brotherly meeting and brotherly love." We cannot express how happy we are with your visit because you are continuing our old spiritual and cultural ties with your arrival. You remind us of all our wonderful meetings from past centuries, because the Serbian Orthodox Church for the last 350 years, and even before that, had very intense ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. And of all the metropolitan areas of the Serbian Orthodox Church, perhaps the most intense connections were from this small, but extremely historically significant Metropolis of Montenegrin and Littoral," said Metropolitan Ioanikije. 

He added that under the vaults of the Saint Alexander Neva Lavra, he found the last Serbian patriarch from the era of Turkish slavery and our ancient past, and his younger contemporary, Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral and Exarch of the Peć Throne, Vasilije Petrović. 

"We are proud that many other Serbs, who were in the Russian state and military service, found rest under the arches of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, in Petrograd, in your Metropolis. And of course, we remember many students, pupils, who later became archbishops, very important workers in the Serbian nation, who were educated at the St. Petersburg Spiritual Academy", said Bishop Joanikije and emphasized that he was very happy about what Metropolitan Varsanufje would do. , in addition to the Cetinje Monastery, to visit other great sanctuaries in the Metropolis of Montenegro and the Littoral. 

He wished that God would grant that the visit of Metropolitan Varsanufi be a new beginning of renewed spiritual ties that have never been broken. 

"And in this time of ours, which is burdened with many difficulties and problems, this visit of yours has an even greater significance, so that we can establish ourselves in mutual brotherly love, that we can unite in common prayers for God's grace and God's grace." May the joy of the Resurrection of Christ, dear Bishop, always shine in your life, in your soul and in your heart, so that you may transmit the light of the Gospel of God to your pious flock and to your entire work as an archbishop," said Metropolitan Joanikije. 

Metropolitan Varsanufje is addressing the host, Metropolitan Ioanniki, with the Easter greeting Christ is Risen! , said that he came to the Serbian Orthodox Church with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill of Russia in order to present the holy relics to Patriarch Porfiri in Belgrade on Sunday. 

"And we had to find two days to visit your Metropolis. That is why we thank you for the blessing to visit the holy places of your Metropolis and to celebrate the Holy Liturgy tomorrow. And dear Bishop, I will not detain you with a long speech, because it is already late. I wish you God's grace in everything, all the best for your clergy, your flock, the students of the seminary - may there be more of them. May God grant everyone good things and that in this time, when we are struggling with many temptations, we may be together - both our faith and our Church," said the Metropolitan of St. Petersburg. 

He then presented appropriate gifts to Metropolitan Ioanniki. 

Radosav Rajo Vojinović