In Albania, the Spiritual Testament of the late primate read aloud

Archbishop Anastasios. Photo: protothema

At the Resurrection Cathedral in Tirana, following the forty-day commemoration of Archbishop Anastasios, his testament was read aloud, reports a UOJ correspondent in Albania.

The testament was originally written in 1997 and supplemented in 2008. Therefore, Archbishop Anastasios’ position on recent events (particularly regarding the Ukrainian issue) is not reflected in the document.

The Archbishop appointed his successor to the archiepiscopal Throne and the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, Bishop Nathaniel of Amantia, as executors of his final will.

We publish the full text of his testament.

Testament of Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos of Tirana and All Albania

“Blessed be thy name, O Lord. With gratitude, I reflect on the years I have spent on this earth—this incredible spacecraft journeying toward infinity. Thank you, Panagia Trias, for revealing to me that infinity is love, YOU.

And from my childhood, You invited me to actively partake in the adventure of Your love, making me worthy to experience the joy of the Holy Mysteries of the Church and to live as a cell within the mystical Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

I thank You because, despite my spiritual poverty and weakness, You accepted me to serve humanity across various borders—geographical and social—contemplating the mystery of the Cross and the Resurrection, often “in much sorrow with the joy of the Holy Spirit.”

I also thank my late parents, teachers, high priests, and spiritual fathers who supported me on my spiritual journey. I am deeply grateful to my beloved relatives—both in the flesh and in the spirit—brothers, sisters, fellow workers in the mission, my former students, my dear African brothers and sisters, and finally, the chosen people of God in the Church of Albania for their heartfelt love and devotion.

I do not own any immovable or movable property, by the grace of God. Everything I have acquired over time has been allocated to works of love. The monetary deposits in my name as Archbishop belong to the Church of Albania. I ask the executors of my will to allocate half of these deposits to the completion of the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Tirana and to ensure that the other half remains properly invested, with the proceeds directed towards strengthening the payroll of the clergy and funding youth programs of the Church of Albania.

The authorial rights from the sale of my books should be transferred in favor of the Inter-Orthodox Center “Porefthentes.”

The executors of this will are my successor and the Chief Secretary of the Holy Synod, Bishop Nathaniel of Amantia. They should ensure that, as a “memory”, the few personal items I used are distributed to my esteemed collaborators, who selflessly worked alongside me in serving the Church.

My books should be donated to the library of the Archdiocese and the library of the Orthodox Theological Academy “Resurrection of Christ,” with a symbolic allocation to the libraries of the three other Metropolises. All books in Athens should be made available in the library of “Porefthentes”.

During my lifetime, while serving in various ecclesiastical positions and international organizations, I undoubtedly saddened many—whether out of weakness or fervor. At this sacred hour of separation, I seek their forgiveness, and from the depths of my heart, I forgive all those who, knowingly or unknowingly, with injustices, fabrications, and slanders, made my journey difficult and painful.

With my limited strength, I endeavored to serve by broadening the horizon of modern Orthodoxy in our apostolic and ecumenical responsibility—in Greece, Africa, the international ecclesiastical arena, and, most significantly, since 1991, by dedicating myself to the restoration of the tormented Church of Albania, which I have loved with all my soul. Everything essential that has been accomplished belongs to the grace of God.

And now, my brothers, collaborators, and beloved spiritual children in Albania, Greece, East Africa, and other parts of the world, “my joy and my crown”, I bid you farewell, offering you the greatest blessing I can: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19).

I ask you never to cease praying that God may have mercy on me, His sinful and unworthy servant, and that, in His infinite love, He may accept me in repentance. “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (3:20-21).

+Anastasios of Tirana

Tirana, March 10, 1997

Corrected June 27, 2008

As earlier reported by the UOJ, hierarchs of the Local Churches held a memorial service for Archbishop Anastasios.

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