Albanian Archbishop concelebrates with Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar

Archbishop Anastasios and Patriarch Bartholomew at the Phanar. Photo: Press Service of the Ecumenical Patriarchate

On June 15, 2025, the Feast of All Saints, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Church of St. George on the Phanar. The service was broadcast live on Facebook by the press office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In his remarks following the Liturgy, Archbishop Anastasios spoke about the tragic consequences of Albania’s atheist regime, which led to “the destruction of hundreds of churches and monasteries, the imprisonment, torture, and deaths of many clergy and faithful, the banning of all religious services, and even of private prayer.”

“Our Church reached the gates of hell. The regime declared Albania the world’s first atheist state, believing it had completely erased all religious presence from the country. But the promise of our Lord Jesus Christ – that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church – proved stronger than all devious human machinations and the horrors of persecution,” the Archbishop emphasized.

He noted that “after decades of brutal atheism and persecution, we have witnessed a miraculous rebirth.”

“We had no grand cathedrals or organized programs, but we had love and purity of heart. We came to understand that the Gospel cannot be imposed –  it can only be offered,” Archbishop Anastasios said.

On the eve of the service, June 14, during a meeting with Patriarch Bartholomew, the Archbishop highlighted that “this peaceful visit of the newly elected Orthodox Primate, in accordance with custom, represents his first visit to the sister Local Orthodox Churches, beginning respectfully with the Most Holy Ecumenical Throne, which holds the honorary primacy among the Autocephalous Orthodox Churches.”

He also expressed his conviction that “the coordinating role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate is a guarantee of unity in the Holy Spirit among all the brother Orthodox Churches, serving as a testimony to Orthodoxy and a shining forth of its truth in today’s turbulent world.”

As previously reported by the UOJ, the Albanian Primate is making a peace visit to Constantinople.

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