Will Lulzim Basha pay the debts of the party he bought?
Last week, Lulzim Basha made the purchase of his life! He ...
Instead of a prologue...
Ferdinand Samardzi
Honor of the Nation
As I sit down to write these lines, my heart aches deeply as I recall the story of Archbishop Anastasios' cross, when I met him, the shepherd who came as a blessing from God, as a vessel chosen by Him.
For 33 years I had spoken and conveyed with much pathos and much curiosity the deification of God, his hopeful, divine messages, for peace, the human love that he conveyed. His vision as a smile for the future. And now as I am writing these lines, veneration has taken over me deeply, humbled for our great, wise chief shepherd, now I must convey between pain and love these few lines of glory for him.
The year 1967 , Albania was experiencing the psalm of Black Friday. The bells had stopped. The altars were silent, mourning, Christ buried. In fact, we Albanians had buried him ourselves, by force, by force, by the savage atheist dictatorship. The land was burned, walled up, scorched. Everything was dead. No hope was left.
Albania, the Albanian people, walked “in the valley of the shadow of death”, the chains of death had surrounded us, “the sorrows of Sheol had seized us” Psalm 116:3, misfortune and pain had brought us to an end. The situation was grim, Albania without God! But the promise of God, that I will be with you, had not yet been uprooted in the hearts of the Albanians, who believed it with a divine pathos, where only from Him they expected hope, light.
Years '90-'91 , the Lord's Sunday would come, so that the bells would ring again, to accompany the symphony in His houses that had been ruined, burned, destroyed. Albanians were thirsty, shaken by the times, for that little light of the Easter lamp, which would now be an unquenchable candle in their hearts. In these conditions, no matter how depressing, paradoxical they might seem, the invitation of the bright celebration of Easter would come, to illuminate life, the human race. Just as Christ, with his sufferings, his torments, the way of the cross, defeated and finally defeated death, and Albanians who experienced the ordeal of the cross would call out the Sunday psalm.
Christ would invite the Albanians to faith on the path, on His cross, for the final overcoming of their suffering. The rousing hymns were composing the symphony of the most beautiful deifying psalm of life:
“Today salvation has come to the world, let us sing to the Lord. The hour of the Lord has come”! Christ was no longer buried, dead. He had risen, as He appeared to the myrrh-bearing women, the all-holy Mary, Mary Magdalene, Mary of Clopas, Martha and Mary of Joanna, Salome, Susanna, and to His own disciples, who sought Him as if He were dead, but He had risen, when they heard the voice of the angel who said to them: “Why do you seek the living among the dead”?! Luke 24:5
Albania, the meadow of the shadow of death, needed a shepherd to light a lamp, to call the flock to the way of God. Albania, like ancient Illyria, had an apostle, a disciple of Christ, like the apostle of the nations, Saint Paul, whose foot would tread and whose mouth would speak, for our ancestors, the lands of Illyria, which Ptolemy (100-168 BC) called Albanians, to spread Christianity, as he writes in the letter to the Romans, “from Jerusalem to Illyricum, I have preached the gospel of Christ (Romans: 15:19).
To build, as the founding architect of Christianity, the Apostolic Church of Illyria, century I, year 58, BC. As he affirms and documents: “According to the grace of God given to me, as a wise architect, I have laid a foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it, for no one can lay any other foundation than the one that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).
To deliver the shepherds, as tradition says, as Saint Paul the Apostle delivered Bishop Marinus, one of the seventy disciples of Christ, during his journey to Illyria, at the Roman station Claudiana, today's Pecini (Acts 17:1). To establish, as is believed in Christian tradition, the first bishop of Durrës, Saint Caesar, where there was a community composed of several Christian families who formed the Apostolic Church in this city, affirmed by Farlati in his work "Illyricum Sacrum", which is located as a document in the old Church of Jerusalem.
The foundation of the Apostolic Church in Illyria, laid by the apostle Paul, remained unshakable, because it was founded on the rock that is Christ, as He Himself said: “And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” Matthew 16:18.
The time had come for us Albanians to all cry out: “Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” John 12:13.
The time had come for the Easter lamp to be lit by a man, as the Patriarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul, Bartholomew I, says: "Archbishop Anastasius, who came as a gift that God gave to humanity."
Archbishop Anastas had come, as his name Anastas means resurrection. He had truly come as a resurrection for the Albanians.
On July 17, 1991 , the Archbishop finally arrived in Albania, as a blessing, who would lead the flock to awaken hope: Christ is risen, the Lord is with us, and we are with the Lord. God will not abandon us. Our Chief Shepherd would pray with hope for the Albanians and would chant the psalm:
"O Lord, O Lord, look down from heaven and see, and visit and cultivate this vineyard which your right hand has planted."
With deep faith in God, the word of the risen Lord began to be heard everywhere.
In the face of a death cry, our chief shepherd, the bishop of Andrusa, Anastasius, would silently accept the cross, the ordeal, his suffering. “Whoever would come after me, let him take up his cross and follow me” Mark 8:34.
The Black Friday pericope was a prologue to the arduous way of the cross that he would experience throughout his life in Albania.
With the stones that attacked us, we began to raise the walls of the houses, like once upon a time in the Old Testament. Our Archbishop would pray without ceasing throughout the scorched Albania. He would celebrate mass without getting tired, without ever stopping, just like the 12 apostles who spread the gospel of love and peace throughout the world during the time of fierce persecution. Our Chief Shepherd, Anastasius, would walk in the footsteps of Saint Paul, the Apostle, who spread the gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum, without fearing the cry of death, just like him.
There was nothing, not even a throne to climb, as our Archbishop himself said, but a broken bench full of nails left by the fierce atheist persecution. Of the 3 episcopacies, 19 hierarchal vicariates, 330 parishes, and 25 monasteries that the church had before 1967, nothing remained. Of all the clergy, 12 remained, not a single bishop. This was heartbreaking, terrifying. It even saw a trace of hope. It was at this time, when hope and faith seemed to fade, that the God of miracles chose a person as its light, as its chosen vessel.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. The words of the prophet Isaiah were being fulfilled by our chief shepherd:
“Who will go for me?” said the Lord.
"Here I am, send me."
This was the call of God, written in the Book, “Holy Scripture.” Everywhere the walls of the houses of God began to be rebuilt. Albanians were entering their gates, as it says in the Bible, with thanksgiving, with praise. Celebrate. Bless His Name! Mass had to be celebrated without ceasing. Hope was needed for hopeless souls.
Our Chief Shepherd would pray for those who had never prayed for years. The heavy weight of the Cross had already become for him a burning love for God, for the long-suffering Albanians. Psalm 123 became his constant prayer: “If the Lord had not been on our side, then the waters would have covered us... . Our help is in the name of the Lord.
After 40 years of absence, the name of the Orthodox Church and its primate, who had already taken responsibility for the resurrection from the ruins, would finally be written. From July 1991 as Patriarchal Exarch, from June 1992 as Primate, our Chief Shepherd would carry out a great and unprecedented revolution for the Church, for the faith, for the Resurrection. He resurrected faith from the atheist grave, he revived a small chapel in the hearts of Albanians, a Christ-child was born to them. He built the houses of God, from the South to the North, from the metropolis, to the most remote areas of the country. He built the entire metropolitanate of Albania. Yes, Archbishop Anastasios will continue the path of consolidation of the Church.
With the love of God, with the right hand, with the gaze of the eye from heaven, of the vineyard of God, with the spirit of wisdom, peace, unity, brotherhood, I will initially form the Holy Synod of the Church of 4 members, the hierarchs Metropolitan of Berat, Bishop Ignati, Metropolitan of Korça, Bishop Joan, Bishop of Apollonia, His Grace Kozmai, and chief secretary Father Jani Trebicka.
Today's Synod has 8 members, and today 6 metropolitanates have been formed and are functioning. In addition to the Metropolitanates, our chief pastor, in the footsteps of Saint Cosmas of Kolkondas, the 18th century, who fought for knowledge and education, ordained 160 Albanian clergymen educated at the Theological Academy, Saint Vlash, Durrës, who convey the message of the Gospel: "Love your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself" and pray at the Saint Gojarti Mass: "We pray for the Republic of Albania and its president and government.
The Church now has a Theological Academy and a Department of Theology and Humanities. Its “Logos” University for higher training not only of clergy, but also of young people, not only studies in theology, but also other branches of science.
With his initiative, blessing, work and dedication, a Church was built where 460 Orthodox parishes were reorganized. 150 new large and small churches were built from the ground up. 60 churches, monasteries and cultural monuments were restored. 160 other churches were repaired.
"Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me," says the Lord in the Gospel according to Matthew 25:40.
This divine commandment led our chief pastor Anastas, who built and reconstructed a church infrastructure of more than 70 buildings for kindergartens and schools, youth centers, health centers, metropolitan headquarters, guest houses, workshops, canteens for the poor in several cities of Albania.
450 buildings today portray a Church with modern European infrastructure that exists and conveys the message of love to all. No human being can be completely outside of divine care, said Archbishop Anastasios.
The Archbishop's life was a martyrdom of the Way of the Cross, His glory, which will remain on the pedestal of the portrayal of the deification of the Archbishop, what he did for Albania, Albanians, Christianity as a whole, for all people who believe in God, but who also embraced those who did not believe in God.
The lines of this writing would continue endlessly, about the life, the work, the path, the mission, the vision that he manifested and envisioned. Before this magnificent work, I will stop at the glory that sealed his mission in Albania, the construction of the Orthodox Cathedral "Resurrection of Christ", a symbol of the triumph, glory, pride of Christianity in Albania. The bell tower, the 4 pillars symbolize the 4 evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, who spread the light of Christ throughout the world, now shines in the former atheist Albania. The glory of their light, which our Archbishop blessed, will continue generation after generation for all times, Albanians.
In the center of the Cathedral, the mosaic of Christ Pantocrator (Almighty) conveys hope and strength to every person and reminds each of us that the last word in history is God's and He is with us until the end of the world, so we should no longer be afraid, because when God is with us, who can be against us?!
Archbishop Anastasios is today one of the most heard voices of modern Christianity, of globalization, one of the most powerful voices of worldwide dialogue. His great evangelical message: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat and persecute you,” is today the vision, the guiding motto of the Orthodox Church.
Only on this divine foundation, said Archbishop Anastasios, can a healthy human society be built. No one should dare to use the oil of the lamp to fan the flames of religious hatred.
With this postulate in 2000, upon the proposal of 33 Academicians of Athens and Albania, he was nominated as a Candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. Our Archbishop did not need a peace prize. He worked for peace and became peace on earth for us Albanians and for the entire human society.
The name of the Archbishop, Anastasios, symbolically resurrection, became the emblem of the resurrection itself, of hope, of love, of the deification of the Church, of the believers, of the Albanian people. Today the Orthodox Church is the foundation of hope: The glory of God is spread throughout the human creation, Archbishop Anastasios emphasized.
Europe and the whole world honored our leader as: President of the World Council of Churches, Honorary President of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, Honorary Member of the Senate of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Professor Emeritus of the National Kapodistrian University of Athens, etc.
I want to close this writing, for which I suffer and worry that I could not say everything that needs to be said about this shepherd, about this Apostle of Christ, about what he did for the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, about everything for Albanians, with his epitaph, which today should guide today's human society and every person: "Let us walk as is worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all things" Colossians 1:10.
Thursday, January 30, 2025, a terrible, painful day, experienced with great sorrow, a day where all believers, Albanians, all of Christianity, the Orthodox world, live today with the pain that is conveying to the throne of God, to the holy heavenly Altar our Chief Shepherd, who will forever convey with radiant incandescence peace and love for everyone, for all of today's society, that they may reign everywhere in every heart, in the entire Galilee of the nations.
Today, with great pain, but with much love, they came to give her a bouquet of flowers.
The Prime Minister of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama, the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the patriarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul, His Holiness, Mr. Bartholomew, the patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus, and primates from sister Churches around the world, have arrived on this occasion.
The Archbishop is given his final farewell, Rama: Janullatos reestablished the Autocephalous Church
Prime Minister: Janullatos came as a priest from Greece, today he is separated from us as the "Anastasius of Albania"
His Beatitude, the late Archbishop of All Albania, Anastasios Janullatos, was given his final farewell yesterday. Many believers gathered both inside and outside the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ to pay their last respects to their spiritual leader.
The ceremony was also attended by the Prime Ministers of Albania, Edi Rama, and Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
During his 33 years in our country, Rama said that Janullatos managed to reestablish the Autocephalous Church of Albania and convey messages of unity and peace. Feeling grateful for the presence of his Greek counterpart today at this farewell ceremony, Rama called the arrival of Kyriakos Mitsotakis "a message of inseparability in life and death between the two peoples."
The Funeral Service was opened by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians around the world.
The body of the head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania will be laid to rest in a special environment at the "Resurrection of Christ" Cathedral in Tirana, a long-standing tradition of this faith.
The full speech of Prime Minister Rama
"Blessed are those who sleep in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Holy Spirit, let them rest from their many labors, for their works speak for them," it is written in the Revelation of the Apocalypse.
Your Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew!
Very honorable members, holy hierarchs of the Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania!
Highly esteemed Metropolitan Joani, Supervisor of the Holy Metropolis of Tirana and Durrës!
Honorable Prime Minister of Greece and welcome friend Kyriakos Mitsotakis!
The Orthodox community is in mourning today!
The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania is now a widow.
Archbishop Anastasios completed his vicarial duty as successor of the apostles in the service of the Orthodox faithful of Albania.
His very long, but above all very meaningful life was a life for the entire Catholic and Apostolic Church in the patristic sense of the word, in the sense that it takes in the great "Creed" of the Council of Nicaea held 1700 years ago under the auspices of Constantine the Great.
A full 33 years of evangelization in the regions of Albania, from the now distant year of 1992 until today, is an extremely significant figure and not only symbolically consistent with the age of Jesus Christ.
Of these 33 years, 3 were spent preaching the resurrection of the mystical body of Albanian Orthodoxy and a full 30 more working as a persistent carpenter in rebuilding the crumbling edifice of the Autocephalous Church of Albania.
Both from a simple human point of view and from a deeply spiritual point of view, the life of Anastas Janullatos was a completely fulfilled life as through it a child's dream was fully realized.
"When I was a child," the late Archbishop recalled, "it was not enough for me to give something to God, I had to give myself completely to Him. I wanted my whole being to live in Christ. As the hierarch of a historical social community, with great influence on the Albanian national mosaic, the person of Archbishop Anastasios and his work at the head of the Church and the flock have been praised, admired, blessed, rebuked, and even anathematized." The most contradictory passions have appeared in our assembly when it came to public and civic activity, of the man who, whether he wanted it or not, took on his shoulders, even the fires of the childish conflicts of our neighborhood revived at the same time as the revival of the church, but even this, at least, testifies to the stoicism of the shepherd, an increasingly rare quality in a time and in a world where more and more are those who are swayed by the wind and where less and less opportunity is left for the "Holy Spirit to blow where it wills", as it is written in Genesis, but beyond those fires lit like lightning in a clear sky, here and there the border remains open after half a century of deathly silence and then extinguished like a blemish in a common courtyard and beyond the prejudices and chronic doubts of our Balkan neighborhood, no one and never can question the authenticity of the Archbishop's pastoral commitment to the flock that he leads. found killed, wounded and scattered 33 years ago and who united it with great patience and dedication in a fold that is reminiscent of the house renewed by the exodus of demons that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel according to Matthew.
I do not intend here to write either an obituary or a eulogy for this prelate, whom for the undeniable sake of truth, all that the world holds in honorable people of religion, intellectuals committed to peace and through interreligious dialogue in artisans of communication between cults and cultures, and even every head of state or government that knew him, were very envious of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, and this opinion is certainly shared entirely by me and my friend, Prime Minister Mitsotakis, who honors us today with his presence and that of the honorable delegation accompanying him to honor the epochal figure of the Archbishop, the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, and the state where it breathes freely today, while at the same time giving with this presence the meaningful message of inseparability in life and in mourning between our two countries and two peoples.
I had the privilege of being present here in this Cathedral that Archbishop Janullatos dedicated to the resurrection of Christ, the resurrection of his mystical body in Albania when it was inaugurated and consecrated. It was the great day of reward for his long labor in building it on a journey where I was also able to accompany him along with others, first as mayor and then as prime minister, until he finally made it a reality.
That day, that unspeakable victory until the Cathedral opened its doors was celebrated with the participation of the patriarchs and metropolitans of all the Orthodox churches of the world. Such prestige and weight on a plane much wider than our borders, neither Albanian Orthodoxy nor Albania itself had ever felt, let alone embodied in the religious plane.
It was a solemn honor that the entire Orthodox world paid to its autocephalous Church and to Albania itself, which would be impossible to imagine without the presence, role, and universally respected personality of our Archbishop.
Today it is my turn to remember in his honor, something that many have seen or felt and many others have not understood or have not wanted to believe, but which in the end he himself witnessed in 33 years and still witnesses today with the body he left here on the soil of Albania, which at his request will be buried precisely in this Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ as he called the Cathedral and as resurrection had the very meaning of his name. Thus, on this day of the closing of the cycle of a life dedicated to resurrection, it must be said without any doubt that in the only dimension that interested him, that of religion, Anastasius came among us 33 years ago as a priest from Greece and after 33 years he leaves our midst as Anastasius of Albania.
It must be admitted that it is difficult, very difficult, to find in our historical memory someone of any other nationality who has been identified with as much pride and dedication in words and deeds with the name of Albania as Archbishop Anastasios.
I know that there are many Albanians who disagree with what I said, but be patient. And let them contemplate with peaceful reflection and of course free from prejudices or neighborly suspicions just some of his works, where just as a good tree is known by its fruits, his identification with our Albania is read without any equivocation.
Today, in the sacred diptychs in all liturgical languages ??of the Orthodox Ecumenical, the name of the Archbishop of Albania is heard immediately after the patriarchal sees and the two autocephalous churches, that of Cyprus and that of Greece. When you hear this liturgical homage, it is impossible not to be deeply grateful to the man we are following today, all the more so if you do not forget that after melting in the 23-year flame of atheistic hell, the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania was only the shadow of a memory. The existence of this church with the spirit that for 33 years its shepherd Anastasius of Albania gave it is truly today a constitutive asset of its own, independent, integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Albania, a “Free Church in a Free State”.
How touching is the stoic coherence of his pastoral life and equally devastating to all his prejudices and doubters, the presence of this lifeless body of the rebirther of the Autocephalous Church of Albania, his statement to the world a short time ago in an interview given to the Greek press which sounds more Albanian than the Albanian of anyone who has prejudiced and suspected him solely because he was Greek, the Archbishop of the Albanian Orthodox who said: my successor will be Albanian. I have been traveling around the world since 1963. I have learned to respect the other as he is, to think about his rights. Imagine if we had a similar situation in Greece. Would we accept a Bulgarian or a Serb to lead the Church of Greece? Of course not. I consider it natural that my successor be Albanian. We did not go to Albania to create a colony. We went to create an autocephalous church of Albania. "It is not part of the Church of Greece. It is one of the 14 autocephalous Orthodox churches in the world," our archbishop concludes his monumental statement.
What a man, what a shepherd, what a reconciler and peacemaker, what a Greek in nationality and what an Albanian in citizenship! The martyred dignity of this church and its head, washed with the sweat and blood of the hardships of Kristofor Kisi and Damian Kokoneshi, Irena Banushi and so many others, Archbishop Anastasios restored in full on its reborn altar, giving the opportunity to the autocephalous church of Albania, its clergy and faithful to today take the baton from this triumphant athlete of Christ and lead it forward in complete freedom, in irreversible independence and with guaranteed security.
It is enough to desire it and you have plenty to learn from the legacy of this man who refused with rare humility hundreds, perhaps thousands of invitations to hostility, to duel, to polemics which came to him without sparing from all sides until the last day of his life. He who, not even being a native, could have been more legitimate to raise his voice against discrimination and mistreatment preferred to follow the guide of the apostle Paul or Pavël as the Orthodox call him, "although I am free from all, I have become the servant of all, so that I may attract as many people as possible to the word of God."
Read like few others and open to the great culture, the archbishop of nine languages, who liked to have fun exchanging a few words with me about the jewels of the Bible and secular letters, in those few moments that remained after he cried out to me about the troubles of the Church, would certainly not hold a grudge, but I am convinced that this lip of his would be in the air, which for the sake of truth said everything along with what he did not say because I want to bid him farewell with a few lines of a "cursed" name, Oscar Wilde in his De profundis.
"Most people live to be loved and adored by others, but we should live to love and adore others. If someone gives us love, we must admit to ourselves that we are unworthy of being loved. No one is worthy of being loved. The very fact that God loves man shows us that in the divine order of things eternal love is given precisely to those who are eternally unworthy of it. If this seems too bitter, let us turn it around and say that all people are worthy of being loved except those who truly deserve it."
Dear Orthodox believers gathered here from all over this country, but also from further afield, today the Orthodox community, not only in Albania, but everywhere else, is mourning.
Today the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania is in mourning, but let us say again with Saint Paul, "Rejoice in the Lord always." I repeat to you, rejoice."
You lost in this life the archbishop of 33 years who, through falling asleep in the Lord, “passed away.” This was an expression that he considered among the most beautiful in the Albanian language, but you gained the “Anastasius of Albania”!
You gained an advocate up there, near God, whom the liturgy of Saint John Gojarti so beautifully calls a "friend of man."
You have gained the example of a redeemer of reconciliation on earth that is now up to all of us to follow, and for the sake of truth, it is up to all of us to follow it on this and that side of the border, which does not divide us so much as it actually unites us.
May the soul of Anastasius of Albania rest in eternal peace, and may the compassion of this day bring to the hearts of each of you the comfort of the Lord of life.
Amen!
"On this day of the closing of the cycle of a life dedicated to resurrection, it must be said without a doubt that in the only dimension that interested him, that of religion, Anastasius came among us 33 years ago as a priest from Greece and after 33 years he leaves our midst as the "Anastasius of Albania"."
"Laid the foundations of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania"
The Greek Prime Minister, while honoring the Archbishop's work, described him as a "diplomat of love," the void he leaves behind.
At the holy liturgy and funeral service of Archbishop Anastasios Yanullatos, the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, also delivered a speech. He stated that the late Archbishop was a special personality. The Greek Prime Minister, while honoring the work of the Archbishop, described him as a “diplomat of love.”
"His passing leaves an irreplaceable void. Not only in the country where he served and in our diaspora, but everywhere where the heart of Hellenism beats, for which he was for decades a guiding light. A light of love and sacrifice, nobility and simplicity, obedience and efficiency. A light of Orthodoxy and Christian life," Mitsotakis emphasized.
He also focused on the moment of Archbishop Anastasios' arrival in Albania.
"In a country ravaged by an authoritarian regime, with Christians persecuted and our compatriots forgotten. However, drawing strength from his deep faith, he laid the foundations of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania," said the Greek Prime Minister.
According to him, it is no coincidence that Archbishop Anastasios is mourned by both Greeks and Albanians. For Mitsotakis, he was always a bridge of friendship between the two peoples and a link of communication between the two states.
"The stones that they throw at us, those who fight against our work," he often said with a smile on his face, "we collect them and with them we build churches and schools."
- He said it and meant it. It is no coincidence, therefore, that today he is mourned by both Greeks and Albanians, but also by people everywhere in the world, regardless of religion or nationality. The Archbishop was always a bridge of friendship between the two peoples and a link of communication between the two states. Therefore, he can rightly be called the 'diplomat of love'.
A mission that he fulfilled with prudence and conscience, but also with unwavering determination," said Mitsotakis. Considering himself one of the lucky ones who had the opportunity to know the Archbishop, Mitsotakis does not hide it and considers this a personal asset.
"He was, as my father had called him, holy and wise. A man who fascinated you with his knowledge and a character who, without expressing it in words, invited you with his example to become better. This is where our paths coincided: in the ability to understand the problems of the majority, especially the weakest, and in the dedication to fight, despite the difficulties, to find solutions to them."
For Greeks and Orthodox in Albania and around the world, Anastasius was a source of pride. He was a tireless and humble servant, offering hope and spiritual guidance to Orthodox believers around the world. With his theological wisdom and his humility, he proved that the Orthodox Church can be a vibrant community of love and social care, uniting peoples.
"Therefore, today we all feel a deep sadness, but also a sense of responsibility for the legacy he left us," Mitsotakis said.
The funeral service was opened by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide. He considers the passing of the Archbishop of Albania a great loss.
"The great pillar of the Orthodox Church in Albania has fallen! The Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and all Albania, Anastasius, has passed away in the presence of the Lord! Although his great age and deteriorating health had prepared us for his imminent end in this earthly life, the loss of such a spiritual Father and ecclesiastical leader causes deep human pain! Anastasius was the servant of the miracle of the resurrection of the Orthodox Church in Albania, after the dark and gloomy night of organized atheism and after the great persecution that the atheist regime inflicted on Christians," said Bartholomew.
Bishop Joani: The Archbishop's work is magnificent and unique
A speech at the divine liturgy and funeral service of Archbishop Anastasios Janullatos was delivered by the Supervisor of the Archbishopric, His Grace Joani. He praised the work of the late Archbishop in the reconstruction of the Orthodox Church in Albania.
“The work of Archbishop Anastasios in the reconstruction of the Orthodox Church in Albania is magnificent and unique. Under his care and efforts, church infrastructure was built and restored, kindergartens, schools and professional institutes were opened, and public education was supported,” he said. But the greatest work, according to Bishop Joan, is the effort of Archbishop Anastasios Janullatos to give a righteous and good spirit within the Church. “His goal was to build a Church where God would be worshipped ‘in spirit and in truth’ (Jn 4:23). For Archbishop Anastasios, construction works were not an end in themselves, but a means to realize the saving mission of the Church. Buildings are erected for people and in their service, being tools that serve the worship and spiritual life of believers,” he said.
The granddaughter of the late Archbishop, Anastasios Janullatos, Roxani, said that Albania became for Archbishop Anastasios, his second homeland.
"My brothers, on behalf of our family, I would like to thank you for the love you have shown for our uncle throughout all these years. You know how much he loved the people with whom he lived for more than 30 years, the people of Albania, the country that became his second homeland. My brothers, we Orthodox Christians know that God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him. This was the life of Anastasius: Love, sacrifice, justice, truthfulness, humility, effort, courage, hope. Let us try to follow his example, who had love for the God of love. And let us always remember that love does not discriminate between races, nations and states. Christ is risen, my brothers," she said.
The passing of the Archbishop of Albania, Anastas Janullatos, brought together Prime Minister Edi Rama and opposition leader Sali Berisha yesterday. They, along with other political figures, participated in the funeral ceremony to bid farewell to Archbishop Anastas Janullatos, at the “Resurrection of Christ” Cathedral in Tirana. At one point, Rama and Berisha stood next to each other, but avoiding somewhat “sad” glances. Among them was the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
During the funeral ceremony of Archbishop Anastasios Janullatos, a letter from Pope Francis was read. The letter was read during the funeral by the head of the Vatican delegation. The Pope recalls in the letter his meeting with Janullatos during his visit to Albania, while underlining the Archbishop's commitment to penetrating the depths of people's hearts, without losing communion with other Orthodox Churches, as well as his contribution to dialogue and peaceful coexistence with other Churches and religions.
"When he arrived in Albania - some 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 witness the love of God, which overcomes all darkness and oppression, among those who had suffered greatly," - Pope Francis said.
Prof. Dr. Bedform Strohm, Chairman of the Commission on Centers of the World Council of Churches: We received nothing but blessings from Archbishop Anastasios for world Christianity/ CNA
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