The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania
Delirium of Slander against the Orthodox Church
Amongst various paradoxes occurring in our country, here comes one related to a Tetovo resident of Muslim origin, Mr. Arben Llala, who offers to give lectures of Canon Law as well as guidelines to the Orthodox Church of Albania. With pathological obsession and through cunning lies, he distorts events and decisions of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, trying thus to deceive the public. No orthodox has ever done a similar thing against any other religious community. Surely, Mr. Llalla’s articles, containing malice and unfounded slander published over and over again in several online portals such as botasot.info, mapo.al, kosovarimedia.com, gazetanewborn.net, ina-online.net, shqiptari.eu and in the “Ballkan” Newspaper, respectively on March 16, 2016 and March 18, 2016, spoil the peace and harmony between religious communities in Albania.
Regarding the defamatory “novel” written against our Church about Fr. Ilia Qirjo, an Orthodox priest from Vlora, with the sole purpose of accusing the Orthodox Archbishop invectively, the truth has been revealed by Fr. Ilia himself in his letter published in Illiriapress.com on March 18, 2016. The letter brings into view the great honor shown by Archbishop Anastasios towards Fr. Ilia’s father, Mr. Kozma Qirjo, whom he had ordained a bishop, and also Archbishop’s ongoing support towards his family. Moreover, the Orthodox clergy do not need a self-acclaimed “prosecutor” like Mr. Llala to defend their own rights. The various problems and wounds in the church –including here the most recent one about the payment of 23 million Albanian Lek to a non-Orthodox citizen from Vlora, who in return usurped the church property and built a restaurant of his own – are handled without rumor by our Archbishop.
Archbishop Anastasios has already become a permanent target of the writer of such articles, who along with the circles which use him, try to throw dirt on Archbishop’s personality by fabricating falsehood. However his unquestionable reputation among the Orthodox and his extraordinary contribution in the Church for more than 60 years now, are well recognized by hundreds and thousands of believers in the country and abroad.
21 March 2016
From Holy Archiepiscopate
