"They congratulated him in Greek, he replied in Albanian"/ Pope Francis' letter to Archbishop Janullatos

2025-01-30 18:33:00, Aktualitet CNA

"They congratulated him in Greek, he replied in Albanian"/ Pope

On the day of the funeral ceremony of Orthodox Archbishop Anastasios Janullatos, Pope Francis, in a letter read during the funeral by the head of the Vatican delegation, recalls his meeting with the deceased during his visit to Albania, underlines his commitment to penetrate the depths of the hearts of those who were entrusted to him, without losing communion with other Orthodox Churches, as well as his contribution to dialogue and peaceful coexistence with other Churches and religions.

The Pope's letter, read during the funeral:

The religion of the Albanian Orthodox community - writes Pope Francis, in the message read during the funeral by Bishop Flavio Pace - was certainly incarnated in the life of our beloved brother, whose zealous pastoral service helped people rediscover its richness and beauty, after years of state-imposed atheism and persecution. For this reason, I retain beautiful memories of my meeting with His Beatitude, on the occasion of my first apostolic journey outside Italy, and the fraternal embrace and the words exchanged on that occasion are dear to me.

Throughout his long life and his ministry as a priest and bishop - the Holy Father continues - he always showed a deep commitment to the Gospel, serving and proclaiming the Lord in different geographical and cultural contexts, in Greece, Africa and Albania. He did this, following the example of Saint Paul the Apostle, who was so devoted to Christ that he could say: "I have become all things to all people, so that by all means I might save some" (1 Cor 9:22).

Taking on the responsibility of leading the Albanian Orthodox Church, he wanted to penetrate the depths of the hearts of those entrusted to him, especially in their tradition and identity, without ever losing communion with the other Orthodox Churches. At the same time, he committed himself with good will to dialogue and promoted peaceful coexistence with other Churches and religions.

When he arrived in Albania – the Holy Father's message states – several priests welcomed him with Easter greetings in Greek “Christos Anesti!” He responded in Albanian, expressing his ardent desire to live with the people and to bear witness to the love of God, which overcomes all darkness and oppression, among those who had suffered greatly.

"Now that his earthly life has come to an end," the Pope concluded the letter, dated January 27, "I pray that, with the mercy of God, the Almighty Father, His Beatitude may forever praise the Holy Trinity, together with all the witnesses of the faith and the shepherds who have proclaimed the word of salvation to peoples, everywhere and at all times." /CNA