New hope for the Orthodox Church in Albania!

New hope for the Orthodox Church in Albania!

The Orthodox world mourns the loss of Archbishop Anastasios, who died in a hospital in Athens at the age of 95. The late head of the Albanian Orthodox Church has been in medical treatment since December 30, 2024 due to a viral infection and was transferred to the Greek capital by plane due to health complications on January 2, 2025. Despite temporary stabilization of his condition, he finally suffered multiple organ failure and died. His funeral is planned for January 30, 2025 in Tirana after the body was laid out in the Orthodox Cathedral of Athens, where the first mourning liturgies took place in which prominent church leaders, including Archbishop Hieronymus of Athens, took part, such as Pro Oriente reported.

In the episode of his death, numerous expressions of condolences and honors were given worldwide. The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomaios I., praised Anastasios as a "renewer and reformer" of the Albanian church. Anastasios was not only a key figure for the Orthodox Community in Albania, which was severely restricted by the communist regime between 1967 and 1990, but also initiated significant initiatives in various social areas. After taking office in 1992, he managed to rebuild the Orthodox Church of Albania with a few remaining priests, and during his 33-year term, he was also involved internationally for interreligious dialogue and ecumenism. It should be emphasized that the transition manager of the Albanian Orthodox Church, metropolitan Ioannis of Korça, was determined in the coming days to take over the management of the church until the election of a new archbishop, such as kathpress announced.