These days, the Holy Trinity Cathedral in the city of Lutsk joyfully welcomed dear guests. Making a pilgrimage journey through Ukraine on a friendly visit, the Primate of the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Michael, and the Primate of the Orthodox Church in Italy, Metropolitan Anthony, arrived. The delegations were accompanied by Bishop Clement of Simferopol and Crimea.
Concelebrating with the ruling bishop of the Lutsk-Volyn Eparchy, His Grace Bishop Michael, the hierarchs served the Divine Liturgy. After the service, Vladyka Michael greeted the highly esteemed hierarchs and thanked them for their attention to the ancient Volyn region, rich in Christian tradition. Also, His Grace emphasized that the great need for eucharistic communion between different Orthodox Churches is directly prompted by Christ's words about the unity of the apostles and that true disciples of the Lord are recognized precisely by their love for one another. Metropolitans Michael and Anthony sincerely thanked the Bishop of Lutsk and Volyn and all the faithful for the warm welcome and, telling those present about their communities, emphasized the exceptional importance of concelebration between brotherly Churches.
After the Holy Liturgy, the hierarchs held a press conference for representatives of Volyn mass media. In particular, the primates of the Montenegrin and Italian Churches spoke about the current state and problems of Orthodox Christians in their countries, noting a certain similarity in the tasks that today face the Churches both in Ukraine and in Montenegro or Italy.
Vladyka Clement spoke about the course of the delegations' pilgrimage journey through Ukraine, and Bishop Michael of Lutsk and Volyn emphasized that the Church in its aspirations for autocephaly must be consistent and, at the same time, actively seek understanding and a common denominator among all Orthodox Christians in Ukraine. Only on the foundations of true love for God and for one's neighbor is it possible — from all branches of Ukrainian Orthodoxy — to create a single local Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate.
The hierarchs also answered correspondents' questions: how relations of the Montenegrin and Italian Churches with the Moscow Patriarchate are being built and what problems of pastoral care for Ukrainian migrant workers they encounter in Italy. Quite extensively, at the correspondent's request, Vladyka Clement spoke about the state of Ukrainian Orthodoxy in Crimea.