Archbishop Anastasios of Albania: 32 years of unceasing love and service
By Fr. Elias Makos*
The 32nd anniversary of the enthronement of the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Albania, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios, was celebrated on Tuesday, 2 August 2024, in a solemn atmosphere in the ancient Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Tirana.
This event is a starting point for the reconstruction and rebirth of the Church in the neighbouring country.
The Archbishop of Albania presided at the Divine Liturgy, accompanied byTheir Eminences, Metropolitan Ioannis of Koritsa, Metropolitan Nicholas of Apollonia and Fieri, Metropolitan Nathanael of Amantia, His Grace Bishop Astio of Vildos, while Metropolitan Anthony of Elbasan participated in prayer from the Holy Sanctuary.
On behalf of the Holy Synod, clergy, and faithful, Metropolitan John of Koritsa, in his welcoming speech, expressed the gratitude of all to the Archbishop for the many important missionary, pastoral, and liturgical works that he has carried out in the Church of Albania for 32 years, which have been fruitful and reformative.
Archbishop Anastasios thanked everyone for their love. In particular, he said, “I am overwhelmed with gratitude to all of you for the love and the atmosphere of affection that exists in our Church. I believe that there is nothing better than love, despite all the problems and difficulties that arise. I thank all of you, the members of the Synod, the clergy, and the faithful, for the affection and strength that each one gives to the other. Much courage and success in everyone’s spiritual endeavour”.
He also ordained to the priesthood and consecrated as a protopresbyter his spiritual assistant, Deacon Fr. Spiro Topanxha, who has all the prerequisites for a worthy and fruitful pastoral ministry.
During the ordination, Archbishop Anastasios emphasised that the new clergyman “must take care to be above all a man of kindness and love. And to achieve this, his faith and humility must be strengthened every day. We need many things in our Church, but above all we need holy clergy. More precisely, sanctified clergy who will be sanctified more and more every day according to the will of God. The first thing to be done, according to the apostolic reading, is to be held in the inner man. To feel the depth, the breadth, the length, the height of God’s overflowing love.
After the Divine Liturgy, the Archbishop of Albania received greetings and offered to those who wished him well his serene and pure smile as the best way of thanking them.
*This article is a translation of part of Fr. Elias Makos’ original piece / orthodoxtimes.com
