Metropolitan Ioannis of Korça elected as new Primate of Albanian Church

New Albanian Archbishop Ioannis. Photo: UOJ

March 15, 2025 – Tirana – The election of the new Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church took place in Tirana, as reported by the Union of Orthodox Journalists (UOJ) in Albania. Metropolitan Ioannis (Pelushi) of Korça became the new Archbishop of Albania.

According to the statutes of the Albanian Church, the new head of the Church was elected by the Holy Synod, which currently consists of seven hierarchs:

1. Metropolitan Asti (Bakalbashi) of Berat, Vlora, and Kanina (b. 1974)
2. Metropolitan John (Pelushi) of Korça, Pogradec, Kolonjë, Devoll, and Voskopoja (b. 1956)
3. Metropolitan Demetrius (Dikbasanis) of Gjirokastër (b. 1940)
4. Metropolitan Nicholas (Hyka) of Apollonia and Fier (b. 1972)
5. Metropolitan Anthony (Merdani) of Elbasan, Shpat, and Librazhd (b. 1959)
6. Metropolitan Nathaniel (Stergiou) of Amantia (b. 1957)
7. Bishop Anastasios (Mamai) of Krujë (b. 1979)

The election of the new primate was announced by the ringing of the church bell.

Biography of Archbishop Ioannis (Pelushi)

The new Archbishop of Albania, Ioannis (Pelushi), was born on January 1, 1956, in Albania to a Bektashi family. His family suffered persecution under the communist regime – his father was imprisoned in 1944 as an "enemy of the state."

Despite the atheist repression in communist Albania, the young John showed great interest in religious matters. In 1975, he was introduced to the New Testament through a friend who was a secret Orthodox Christian, which had a profound impact on his conversion to Christianity. In 1979, he was secretly baptized by Fr. Kosma Kirjo.

After the fall of the communist regime, he pursued theological education at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brooklyn, USA, thanks to a scholarship from the Albanian Orthodox community in America. After completing his studies in 1993, he returned to Albania to assist in the restoration of the Albanian Orthodox Church.

In 1994, he was ordained a deacon and later a priest by Archbishop Anastasios. He was later appointed assistant rector of the Theological Academy in Durrës and was elevated to the rank of archimandrite in 1996.

On July 18, 1998, the Holy Synod elected him as Metropolitan of Korça. Archbishop Ioannis has represented the Albanian Orthodox Church at various international events and is fluent in Albanian, Greek, and English.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the date for the election of the new primate had been announced.

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