On Wednesday, August 2nd the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania celebrated the 14th anniversary of the enthronement of His Beatitude, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and all Albania Anastasios Yannoulatos and simultaneously the moment of the canonical rebuilding of the Orthodox Church after the communist regime.
A Divine Liturgy was held on Wednesday morning in the Annunciation Cathedral in Tirana. The participants included the Holy Synod, clergy, lay people, and believers from Tirana and from all of Albania.
On this special and historic day for the AutocephalousOrthodox Church of Albania, Archbishop Anastasios congratulated the faithful and all Albanians, stressing that after all the problems which the faith experienced in Albania, in these 14 years a perceptible presence of the Orthodox Church can be seen in the development of the society. “…We continue our journey with confidence and God hasn’t abandoned us. To be enthusiastic people in spirit, may the Holy Spirit make us radiant in every moment and in every relation with people around us, and to be ready to forgive because generosity and forgiveness are characteristics of all Orthodox. The advancement of this on our part would be progress for the church and for the whole country. May the Lord of hope fill us all with joy and peace…” said Archbishop Anastasios in the course of his speech. The Metropolitan of Berat also spoke at this anniversary and stressed the missionary spirit of Archbishop Anastasios and the example he gives to all Orthodox people. Meanwhile the Metropolitan Joan of Korça expressed his thanks for the great work of the Church and Archbishop Anastasios in their universal contribution towards the development of the Church and all of the Albanian society.
This fest commemorates and honors the enthronement of Archbishop Anastasios as the head of the Orthodox Community of Albania, the primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. This event reminds us of the moment when the cornerstone of the organization and church activity was placed in the country after the communist regime, as well as of the canonical rebuilding of the Orthodox Church, which is connected to the creation of the Holy Synod, the highest organ of the Church.
This festival expresses the pride and value that we hold for the director of the Church with his spirit of peace, understanding, wisdom and respect for every human being. He has lead the Church in times of peace and in times of turbulence always with wisdom and prudence, so that the Orthodox Church is now an important factor in the development of the social life of Albania and an honored and well-known institution all over the world.
Translated by Kristiana Muça and Georgia Gilman
