Reception on Christmas Occasion by Archbishop Anastasios
Following the Divine Liturgy on 25 December, 2023 there was a reception by Archbishop Anastasios on the occasion of Christmas at the Holy Synod Center across the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Tirana.
Numerous leaders and celebrities came to wish the orthodox faithful, and His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios on Christmas day. The people who were present at the ceremony were: His Excellency Mr. Bajram Begaj, the president of Albania, Ms. Holta Zaçaj, the Head of the Constitutional Court, Mr. Erion Veliaj, the Mayor of Tirana, Prince Leka, the Heir to the Royal Throne, Mr. Afrim Qendro, the Prefect of Tirana, Mr. Aldrin Dalipi, the District Chairman and Ms. Romina Kuko, the Chairperson of the Municipal Council of Tirana and Deputy Minister for the Internal Affairs. There were also the leaders of the religious communities in the country such as: Mr. Bujar Spahiu, Head of the Muslim community, H.D Edmond Brahimaj, the World Grandfather Bektashi, Rev. Arjan Dodaj, Archbishop of Tirana and Durresi Diocese, as well as other ambassadors, diplomats, academic persons, leaders of the main media in the country, prominent personalities of art, business and civil society, and also leaders of the Orthodox Church institutions, faithful, theologians, representatives of the different church communities in Tirana etc.
All the guests were kindly welcomed by His Beatitude and the clergy and the reception was accompanied by the sounds of Shen Joan Kukuzeli Byzantine Music Choir and the Church of St. Prokopi Choir.
Mr. Bajram Begaj, the President of Albania claimed to the journalist the following statement, “Today is a special day, it is Christmas. For this reason, I came to extend my wishes on this holy occasion. This is the day of the Holy Light which brings hope and joy to all the faithful and people of Albania. Merry Christmas to all! May the Albanian people have an abundance of joy, prosperity and peace!” On the other side, Archbishop Anastasios stated, “We are very grateful to the President because he continually delivers messages of hope and love during all the time. We really desire to work hard for the prosperity of this country maintaining always the spirit of Christmas.”
Also Mr. Erion Veliaj, the Mayor of Tirana emphasized that, “…it is a special blessing what we usually take for granted: the harmony between religious communities. In fact, this is actually cultivated each day and these types of visits are part of such a cultivation process. The fact that despite our political beliefs, our background, our different perspectives, we still join each other in such celebrations, makes us wish that each day be a Christmas day, so that we can be kind and cooperative with one another every single day… My wish and prayer is to live each day as if it is Christmas and all of us have a common motivation, which is to contribute to the prosperity of this country.”
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