 In 1674, when, Patriarch Maksim fell ill and decided to withdrew from the position, Arsenije was elected patriarch, probably between Easter and Ascension.In 1673, the new patriarch visited the Serbs in the coastal lands who at the time were subjects to the Republic of Venice.He met with Catholic Archbishop of Bar, Andrija Zmajević, who was a Serb, and also a member of the noble family who once served the Crnojevići, in order to contact European powers for the protection of Christians under Islamic Turkish rule.