Archbishop Anastasios, Albanian Church Primate, reposes in the Lord
Archbishop Anastasios. Photo: orthodoxalbania
On January 25, 2025, at 8:30 AM, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, reposed in the Lord at the age of 95. This was reported on the official website of the Albanian Church.
It was noted that Archbishop Anastasios passed away at Evangelismos Hospital in Athens due to multi-organ failure.
“We ask the Orthodox faithful of the Albanian Church to pray for the repose of the soul of the departed Primate,” the statement reads.
His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios was the one who rebuilt and revived the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. He fully restored it from ruins after the fall of the atheist regime.
“With his divine vision and tireless work, he reconstructed church life from scratch, built hundreds of churches, established educational and charitable institutions, and formed a new generation of clergy, carrying out uninterrupted and selfless service for over 33 years,” the press service wrote.
As reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists, the Albanian Primate repeatedly expressed support for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, its clergy, and faithful, and stated that the creation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) neither brought peace nor unity to Ukraine.
Read also
Political expert: Declaring January 7 as Programmer’s Day resembles mockery
Kostiantyn Bondarenko commented on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to designate a new professional holiday on the day when Christmas is celebrated.
Cherkasy court accuses Metropolitan Theodosiy of “improper sermon”
At another court hearing in the case of Metropolitan Theodosiy, an expert attempted to argue that there had been no violent seizure of the monastery in Cherkasy and that the alleged crime was committed by the Cherkasy hierarch through an “improper” sermon.
Catherine Whiteford discusses defense of UOC with Congressman Riley Moore
An American political figure spoke about a meeting that addressed the protection of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and freedom of religion.
7-meter didukh to replace Christmas tree installed on Maidan
According to KSCA representatives, "the didukh, unlike the borrowed Christmas tree, is a traditional pre-Christian symbol of ancient Ukrainians".
Patriarch of Bulgaria: OCU will not take part in services at Phanar
The Bulgarian Patriarch emphasized that the OCU is not mentioned in the diptychs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and will not participate in joint services at the Phanar.
SBU shows what to do with those who celebrate Christmas on January 7
The video of the SBU features its employees breaking down the apartment doors with the comment: "Who comes 'caroling' to those who celebrate Christmas on January 7."