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Metropolitan of Korça, Anastasius after the enthronement: This place that is being entrusted to me is not mine but God's

2025-09-27 12:12:00, Aktualitet CNA

Metropolitan of Korça, Anastasius after the enthronement: This place that

Metropolitan of Korça, Anastasius, gave his first speech after the enthronement ceremony.

His Grace Anastasius said that the enthronement is an event of the Church, a new stone placed in the living temple of the body of Christ.

He emphasized that this place he is being entrusted with is not his, but God's.

"Today I stand before you with a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude. The enthronement is an event of the Church, a new stone placed in the living temple of the body of Christ.

In the light of the teachings, the bishop is called to keep the torch of faith burning, to comfort the hurting, and to become a living sign of Christ's presence among the faithful.

I am here, not to seek the glory of the world but the glory of the Church, not to stand above others but among them. My heart is filled with humility, this place that is being entrusted to me is not mine but God's.

I believe that not only I, but also all the brother bishops present here, together, as the Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, have the same goal: to cooperate and carry the cross of Christ on our shoulders, so that our Church may always shine as a light of truth and hope.

You, who for more than 27 years led this holy Metropolis, dedicated yourself, sacrificed yourself and made it spiritual for the faithful, for the clergy and laity, becoming at the same time a dear friend to the entire people. Today, you hand over this Metropolis exalted, adorned, united, a flock under one shepherd. This is the greatest achievement: to be one, just as we are one in Christ.

The Holy Metropolis of Korça holds an honorable place in the history of our Church. Korça has often been called the “city of light and culture”: here schools were opened, here generations of intellectuals were formed, here culture was connected to faith and education to the soul. Its churches, monasteries, icons and songs still speak of a rich spiritual heritage. This place produced martyrs and saints, men and women who did not succumb to the darkness of atheism, but kept the fire of faith alive when all other lights went out.

I feel that today I enter this sacred heritage, coming from the Vlora of Saint Nestor, Saint Ansti, Saint Donact, Saint Nil and Saint Omil, where God has made me worthy to live among people of virtue, prayer, sacrifice and altruism. I was not worthy, but I am very grateful. I also remember Father Cosmas of Apollonia, who united our cities during the communist persecution, as well as Ignatius of Berat.

The path that brought me here, a path that I traveled without knowing where God was leading me, gave me the opportunity to live and work alongside two of the greatest figures of our Church: the great Anastasius of Albania and the wise Bishop Joan.

I am not here to speak as a stranger among you, but as a brother in Christ, bound by the love and holiness of the fathers I mentioned. I am not here to start over, but to continue a story that has deep roots. I am here to write a new chapter in the long book of faith and love that this Metropolis has engraved in the language and life of our people.

Today the challenges are different. We do not have open persecution, but we have hidden forms of it: neglect, relativism and materialism. Man is often lost in the noise of many voices and vain offers. Young people, not infrequently, do not find meaning in everyday life. This is precisely where the Church's mission comes in: to be a light and a guide. Her role is not to condemn, but to enlighten; not to exclude, not to judge, but to guide with love.

The Church is a spiritual hospital, where everyone finds healing; it is a home, where everyone feels protected; it is a school, where the truth is taught. Believing and beloved people of the Metropolis of Korça, I assure you that I do not come as a stranger, but as a brother. My desire is that we get to know each other more deeply. And this knowledge is not a simple human curiosity, but a spiritual calling that becomes a relationship, a relationship that turns into coexistence, and coexistence in the experience of Christ.

Without Christ, every relationship is fragile, every union is temporary, every brotherhood is insufficient. With Christ, even the stranger becomes a brother, even the distant becomes close, even the stranger becomes part of the same body. The Apostle Paul reminds us: “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.” And in this body, which is the Church, there is no division, but a profound unity that springs from Christ himself, its Head.

Saint John the Baptist reminds us that the Church is a community of love and holiness, where no one lives for himself but for the other, because we all live for Christ. This means that I, as your shepherd, cannot truly know you unless I see you united to Christ; and you cannot know me by my name or my image alone, but only if you see in me faith in Christ.

Therefore, our knowledge should not stop at a human level, but find fulfillment in the shared experience of the Word and the Holy Mysteries. There, in Holy Communion, where Christ himself becomes our Bread of Life, we know one another not as separate individuals, but as members of a single body, of a holy family.

Dear fathers, my closest collaborators in the vineyard of the Lord, you are the daily voice of the Church; your presence is felt in every neighborhood, every village and every home. Through you the Gospel is preached, the mysteries are celebrated, and the people of God are nourished with holy grace. You are the hands with which Christ blesses, the smile with which the Good Shepherd comforts, and the heart with which he gathers His sheep. Without you, every word of mine would be empty, every effort would remain fruitless. For this, I thank you with all my heart for everything you have done until today", said Metropolitan of Korça, Anastasi./ CNA





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