Metropolitan Onuphry congratulates new Primate of Albanian Church

Metropolitan Onuphry and Archbishop Joan. Collage: Pershyi Kozatskyi

The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, sent a congratulatory message to the newly elected Archbishop Joan of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania on his election as the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, the UOC's press service reported.

In his message, Metropolitan Onuphry acknowledged the difficult life path of Archbishop Joan, which reflects the challenging history of the Albanian Church in the second half of the 20th century. The Metropolitan highlighted that the new Primate was baptized during the atheist regime in Albania and was not only a witness but also an active participant in the revival of Orthodoxy in the country.

"You were a disciple and close associate of the ever-memorable Archbishop Anastasios, under whose omophorion you were formed and served as a priest, and later as a bishop," the message stated.

Metropolitan Onuphry also recalled Archbishop Joan’s visits to Ukraine as part of official delegations of the Albanian Orthodox Church and expressed hope for continued friendly relations between the two Churches.

The Primate of the UOC especially emphasized the role of the Albanian Church in global Orthodoxy, calling it an example of "humble and sacrificial service to Christ, fruitful Christian preaching and mission, and deep spiritual life." Thanks to this, the Albanian Church was able to revive after the period of persecution under the atheist regime, demonstrating to the world "the miracle of the resurrection of the Christian community."

In concluding his message, Metropolitan Onuphry wished that under the new Primate’s omophorion, the Albanian Orthodox Church would preserve and multiply all that had been established before and prayed that the Lord would grant Archbishop Joan strength and wisdom in his new ministry.

The Albanian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Churches. After enduring severe persecution under the communist regime of Enver Hoxha (1944–1991), when Albania was declared the "first atheist state in the world," the Church began its revival under Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos), who led it from 1992 to 2025.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that Albanian priest Ilia Mazniku stated that the clergy and faithful of the Albanian Church expect the new Primate to follow the path of Archbishop Anastasios.

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