Solemn Welcome of Serbian Patriarch Porfirije in Podgorica

On 4 September 2021, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Davit Bagrationi Mukhranbatoni, Head of the Royal House of Georgia, and Her Royal Highness Princess Irina attended the solemn and magnificent welcome of His Holiness Porfirije, Archbishop of Peć, Metropolitan of Belgrade and Karlovci, and Serbian Patriarch.

His Holiness was visiting Montenegro for the first time since his election as Serbian Patriarch on 18 February 2021. He arrived for the enthronement of His Eminence Joanikije II, Metropolitan of Montenegro, the Littoral, Zeta, Brda, and Skenderija and Exarch of the Holy Throne of Peć, upon the Holy Throne of Saint Peter of Cetinje at Cetinje Monastery in the historic Montenegrin royal capital of Cetinje.

Their Royal Highnesses received the highest honours accorded on such occasions, as did His Royal Highness Prince Filip Karađorđević of Serbia and Yugoslavia and his wife, Her Royal Highness Princess Danica Karađorđević. They attended the ceremony together with tens of thousands of Montenegrin citizens and faithful members of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

The warm reception and spirit of paternal affection and fraternal welcome shown to Their Royal Highnesses were also reflected in the welcome homily delivered by Metropolitan Joanikije. While greeting all the officials in attendance, the Metropolitan explicitly mentioned by name only the royal couples of Georgia and Serbia; the other ecclesiastical and secular dignitaries were acknowledged by their titles or offices.

Among the distinguished guests attending the historic ceremony, Divine Vespers, and Doxology Service in front of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica were Archbishop Makarios of Qatar of the Jerusalem Patriarchate; Metropolitan Amvrosie of Tver and Kashin of the Russian Orthodox Church; Metropolitan Gavril of Lovech of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; Metropolitan Dimitrios of Gjirokastër of the Albanian Orthodox Church; Archbishop Juraj of Michalovce and Košice of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia; Metropolitan Mark of Berlin of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia; Metropolitan Antony of Boryspil and Brovary and Metropolitan Sergey of Ternopil and Kremenets of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church; and Bishop Varsanufie of Siemiatycze of the Polish Orthodox Church.

Also attending were Archbishop of Ohrid and Metropolitan of Skopje Jovan; Metropolitan Hrizostom of Dabar and Bosnia; Bishop Vasilije of Srem; Bishop Nikanor of Banat; Bishop Lukijan of Buda; Bishop Dositej of Britain and Scandinavia; Bishop Justin of Žiča; Bishop Jovan of Šumadija; Bishop Fotije of Zvornik and Tuzla; Bishop Atanasije of Mileševa; Bishop Grigorije of Düsseldorf and Germany; Bishop Teodosije of Raška and Prizren; Bishop David of Kruševac; Bishop Jovan of Slavonia; Bishop Andrej of Austria and Switzerland; Bishop Sergije of Bihać and Petrovac; Bishop Arsenije of Niš; Bishop Kiril of Buenos Aires and South and Central America; Bishop Dimitrije of Zahumlje and Herzegovina; Bishop Isihije of Valjevo; and Bishop Metodije of Diocletia and Bishop-elect of Budimlje and Nikšić.

Other clergy present included Bishop Antonije of Moravica; Bishop Stefan of Remesiana; Bishop Jerotej of Toplica; Bishop Joakim of Polog and Kumanovo; Bishop Marko of Bregalnica; Bishop Emeritus Georgije of Canada; Archimandrite Sava, Bishop-elect of Marča; Archimandrite Justin, Bishop-elect of Hvosno; Archimandrite Methodius, Hegumen of Hilandar Monastery; Archimandrite Sava, Hegumen of Visoki Dečani Monastery; and numerous other clerics.

Among the secular dignitaries present were His Excellency Professor Dr Zdravko Krivokapić, Prime Minister of Montenegro; Dr Nenad Popović, Minister of Innovation and Technological Development in the Government of Serbia; His Excellency Vladislav Maslennikov, Ambassador of Russia to Montenegro; His Excellency Christian Thimonier, Ambassador of France to Montenegro; Slaven Radunović, Member of the Parliament of Montenegro, President of the Democratic Front Parliamentary Group, and Vice-President of New Serb Democracy; Andrija Mandić, President of New Serb Democracy; Vladimir Đukanović, Member of the Serbian Parliament and a leading official of the Serbian Progressive Party; Professor Dr Dragan Stanić, President of Matica Srpska; and Dragan M. Davidović, Director of the Secretariat for Religions in the Government of Republika Srpska.

Numerous other diplomats, ministers, members of parliament, mayors, and officials from Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other countries were also in attendance.

The entourage accompanying His Royal Highness Crown Prince Davit and Her Royal Highness Princess Irina included Aleksandar Đurđev, Vice-Rector of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Serbia and a member of the Assembly of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina; the Reverend Deacon Hadži Nenad M. Jovanović, Chaplain of the Georgian Royal Orders in Serbia; Goran Milenković, Assistant Minister for Rural Welfare in the Sector for International Cooperation, European Integration, and Projects of the Government of Serbia; and Henri Durand de Grossouvre, Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Eagle of Georgia and the Seamless Tunic of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

The participation of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Davit in this historic event was followed with keen interest and reported in detail by numerous media outlets:

His Eminence Metropolitan Joanikije gave an interview to Serbia’s principal state television channel, RTS1, in which he particularly emphasised the presence of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Davit.
Al Jazeera Balkans.
Ostrog TV Studio, a Church television service in Montenegro.
Radio Free Europe.
TV Hram of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci of the Serbian Orthodox Church broadcast Metropolitan Joanikije’s complete welcome homily.

Interview with Metropolitan Joanikije on RTS1