June 24, 2017 is a festive day for the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, because a quarter of a century ago, on June 24, 1992 the Orthodox Christians started to be led by the fatherly devotion, vision, and apostolic grace of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios. This successful anniversary proves that the decision made by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate with the proposal of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I that the patriarchal exarch be unanimously elected as the Canonic Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania (a decision which was welcomed by all the Orthodox Churches in the world) was the most appropriate and possible decision that could be made given the circumstances present within the church, after a period of atheism that most totalitarian regimes in all former communists countries created.
His Beatitude, before undertaking this endeavor, had served in the Orthodox Church as a deacon (1960), a priest (1964), as Bishop of Andrusa (1972), as General Director of the Apostolic Service of the Church of Greece and Acting Metropolitan of the Holy Metropolis of Irinupolus in East Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda (1964-1981-1990), paving thus the way for the revival of the Orthodox Ierapostolism in the World, as professor of the Religious History at Athens National Kapodistrian University, as Dean of the Faculty of Theology; he was also appointed in many important positions of world-wide religious organisms; he was the author of dozens of scientific monographs and over 240 studies and articles with theological or religious content that were translated into 12 foreign languages; he was a prominent lecturer in many international institutions where he would talk about today’s Christian testimony of interfaith dialogue, solidarity and world peace. His election was not simply out of the human will, but also out of the will of our Lord Jesus Christ, who told his apostles: “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (Jn 15: 16) and who commanded, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15).
Archbishop Anastasios, as a young apostle who imitated and followed the footsteps of Paul, the great apostle of nations, and who said for himself: “By the power of signs and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the Gospel of Christ”(Romans 15:19), after preaching the Gospel of Christ in Europe and in Africa, was finally guided by Divine Providence towards the post-atheist Albania on July 17, 1991 where he would serve as Patriarchal Exarch. In his memoirs he recalls: “During my one-year travel throughout Albania, I noticed the terrible desolation and complete disintegration of the Orthodox Church destroyed by the wild persecution, but I saw also the seeds of Orthodox faith that had been hidden in thousands of souls, awaiting the right conditions to develop again.”
Despite his human reluctance not to hold this crucible cross, that is, not to be the Archbishop of an inexistent Church and despite the opinion of many skeptical people about the resurrection of the Church in Albania, he finally, after many prayers, obeyed the words of God: “Whoever wills to come after Me, let him deny himself, and lift up his cross every day, and follow Me” (Lk 9:23) and from that moment on the Archbishop has been walking on this path of dedication and sacrifice for twenty-five years.
Many people talk about faith in God, but Archbishop Anastasios finds very appropriate the words of Apostle James who claims: “Whatever you say, you have faith, and I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds”(James 2:18).
This multi-dimensional 25-year work is worth remembering through a brief retrospective on this anniversary:
1. In the church domain today, under his priesthood care, you do not find only 12 priests and 3 retired and incapable deacons who had survived the communist atheist dictatorship back then, but more than 150 clerics of Albanian citizenship and of all ranks who serve in the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania after having completed their higher education and studying at the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy in St. Vlash, Durres. Today, the Holy Synod of the Church is composed of 8 members, three of whom are Metropolitans of Korça, Elbasan, Apollonia (Fier); as well as a Bishop (by title) of Bylis and they are all of Albanian origin and nationality, along with the secretary of the Synod. Today there are 460 Orthodox communities in cities and villages, where liturgical activities are held and where the Gospel is preached telling the people to love their God, neighbor and country.
2. In the construction domain, 160 churches have been restored, 150 new churches have been built, 5 cathedral churches have been constructed among which the “Resurrection of Christ” Cathedral located in the center of Tirana as a new tourist asset. Seventy objects have been purchased to reconstruct kindergartens, schools, youth centers, Metropolitan headquarters, guest houses, workshops, and soup-kitchens for the poor – that is 250 buildings altogether. In addition, there are fifty youth centers in towns and villages where youth are educated with high moral values.
3. In the human domain, a Diagnostic Center is built which has 23 specialists and provides modern medical services, as well as an ORL Optical Diagnostic Center, where Albanian citizens regardless of their religion can carry out their health analysis and medical visits. Primary health care centers operate in Kavaja, Korça, Jorgucat (Gjirokastra) and Lushnja. It is worth-mentioning the humanitarian aid offered by the Orthodox Church in distributing thousands of tons of food, clothing and medicines to people in need during the country’s various crises in 1992, 1994, 1997. The aid was provided under the care of Archbishop Anastasios. Also assistance was provided to 33,000 refugees from Kosovo with funds which were collected from the Churches in various countries. In 2008, humanitarian aid was granted to the victims’ families of the Gerdec tragedy and in 2015 aid was provided to families affected by floods.
4. In the educational domain 21 kindergartens have been built which function in nineteen cities. There is also the Home of Hope Orphanage in St. Vlash, Durrës; the 9-year-old “Protagonists” school in Tirana; the Albanian-Greek 9-Year Schools “Spirit of Love” in Durres and Gjirokastra; and five high schools: the Holy Cross Ecclesiastical Lyceums in Gjirokastra and Sukth; “Platon” College in Korça; the Albanian American Educational Complex “Protagonists” in Tirana and “The Spirit of Love” College near Apostle Paul Church in Mesopotam. There is also the Byzantine Music School in Tirana; the High School Dormitory in Bularat; and Logos University College in Tirana.
5. In the cultural domain, six hundred icons with rare artistic values have been restored along with 60 churches, monasteries and cultural monuments worth over 11 million euros.
6. In the economic domain, more than 800 people are employed and insured in the Orthodox Church.
7. Finally, with the funds collected by the Archbishop, the “Rapun 3 & 4” Hydropower Plant in Librazhd was constructed, which is a great hydropower work, and which will contribute to the economy and the continuity of the building work of the Church, but which will also serve as an economic asset for the country.
All this work, is just the tip of the iceberg, since it is impossible to be described because it is such a large work and its invisible part is the spiritual work that the Orthodox Church of Albania has been doing with the people for 25 years now, trying to revive their lost hope for life, to reshape people characters torn by selfishness, greed, hatred, helplessness, to heal the wounds of sin and to raise the man to the highest image in the likeness of Christ, the Son of God.
The above statistic is not an electoral propaganda, but a real work with solid foundations that will remain forever for the good of the believers and the country.
When one looks at all this, it seems that it has always been there, but it has not been so, especially for the Archbishop, who holds the greatest workload and made the greatest contribution and for whom it has been a tedious journey, like a cavalry route, during which he held his cross every day. About holding such a heavy cross, he was informed also by the Divine Providence: In his memoirs he recalls, “According to the Church’s tradition, in the Ecumenical Patriarchate, when one undertakes an episcopal duty, he opens the Gospel by chance and reads the lines at a certain page which are taken in turn as a notice by God.” And Archbishop Anastasios opened the Gospel on the page where it said about the crucifixion of Christ read on the Holy Friday in our Church. Hence the throne where Archbishop Anastasios sat, “was not an archiepiscopal type of throne, but just a broken, nail-filled bench that the atheistic persecution had left behind,” he said.
It is amazing to observe his respectability and patience in the face of continuing attacks of slander, intrigue, insults, denigration, made by enemies filled with hatred such as atheists, paranoid nationalists, opponents of Christianity, uneducated naïve people and corrupted statesmen, who have not yet granted the Albanian citizenship to him as it has happened with other foreigners who have received it due to their modest contribution to Albania and Albanians.
Nonetheless, he endured all these malicious attacks by following the message of Christ: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who do you wrong and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). His sayings have remained stoned, such as “with the stones that they throw at us, we build churches”. Many “benevolent people” wonder how this man can stands still, but in fact the power of the Archbishop, who possesses a youthful livelihood, stays in the power of Christ, as the apostle Paul also says: ” I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”(Phil 4:13) “That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:10)
However, patience is not enough while leading a Church, but funds must be provided as well for all the building work which is necessary for the normal function of the ecclesiastical institution. The funds for this multidimensional revival of the Church have been provided by the Archbishop, along with many friends and benevolent people of Albania and Albanians, who responded to his request for economic support for the construction of a series of works which are not only ecclesiastical but also public. He always says: “I have become an international beggar”.
But after the cross there is resurrection and triumph. On this 25th anniversary, the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania has the right to celebrate with triumph, for it is already a resurrected Church possessing equal rights with its sister Orthodox Churches all over the world; it has a strong, constructive and decision-making voice in coping with the difficulties encountered by Christians and people all around the world who live in a troubled planet with global problems. The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania is an important and inspiring factor influencing religious harmony in the country and in the entire world; it provides comfort and social support to those in need and the marginalized people in society; it is an “ambassador” of Albania and Albanians to the European and International organizations where the Orthodox Church of Albania is present and has a leading role as a factor of peace in the region.
The resurrection of the Church is closely related to the name of our Archbishop Anastasios which in Albanian is translated as ‘resurrection’. But Archbishop Anastasios, though aware that he has contributed more than anyone else, humbly says, “But by the grace of God I am who I am; and His grace to me was not in vain … yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me “(I Cor. 15:10), thus encouraging the Orthodox people to believe and affirm that “The Lord is with us, and we are with the Lord.”
In this panegyric anniversary of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, the wishes of the Synod, of all Christians, clerics, laypeople and lovers of his work in the Lord, are united unanimously: “May God grant you many many years, O dear Archpriest!” Because the more this man of God, who is filled with love for the Lord and his neighbor lives, the more great works will he carry out for the glory of God, for the benefit of the Orthodox Church, and for the good of the people of our country.
By Miron Çako
