Serbian Patriarch Porfirije, together with his host, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Tuesday, the Patriarchate announced.
They added that the conversation, which was attended by Archbishop Irinej of Novi Sad and Metropolitan of Bačka and Metropolitan Antonije of Volokolamsk, President of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, took place in a spirit of full mutual understanding and mutual desire to further improve cooperation between the two brotherly peoples and sister churches.
Expressing gratitude to President Putin at the reception, Patriarch Porfirije emphasized that the Serbian people feel complete spiritual closeness to the Russian people.
He emphasized the immeasurable importance of President Putin advocating, protecting, and promoting Christian values.
"Patriarch Porfiry's relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian people, characterized by love and a desire for closer cooperation, is identical to that of his predecessors, the late Patriarchs Pavle and Irinej. The fullness of the Serbian Orthodox Church also has such a relationship," Patriarch Porfiry stated.
The President of Russia spoke about the mutual relations between the two peoples and states in a spirit of understanding and very good knowledge of the situation on the Balkan Peninsula, emphasizing that Russians and Serbs are united by the Orthodox faith and a common culture based on it.
"The recently held All-Serbian Assembly is a good way to preserve the unity and identity of Orthodox Serbs," Putin said.
He welcomed the announced participation of the Serbian President in the celebration of the eightieth anniversary of the victory over fascism, on May 9th in Moscow.
Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, speaking about the ties between the two peoples and the two churches, stated that these are the closest brotherly nations and faithful allies, always faithful to each other in all circumstances.
All interlocutors unanimously expressed hope that Europe, like the entire Western world, will return to Christian values and way of life, highlighting the recently deceased Pope Francis, who advocated for this, as a valuable example.
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