The Feast of St. Prokopios, the Patron Saint of Tirana, celebrated with Joy in the Church holding His Name. The church of St. Prokopios, which was inaugurated in 1945 in order to substitute the old church of the 17th century, which was destroyed leaving its place to the new boulevard to be built, rose on the hills of the Lake Park in Tirana and
A new declaration (18.7.2020 Ta Nea) of Archbishop Anastasios* about Hagia Sophia A specific insult against both Christianity and Islam. The stubborn decision of Turkey about the Hagia Sophia is not only a kind of cultural “jihad” (holy war), especially today when any type of jihadist is condemned internationally, but constitutes a specific insult against both Christianity and Islam. They made a mosque ofthe marvelous
In connection with the decision of the Republic of Turkey to return the Church of the Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) into a mosque, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania declares: “This decision belongs to the tragic actions which undermine the greatest hope of our epoch, the peaceful coexistence of religions and cultures. This decision returns us back to the darkest convolutions of history.
On Friday, June 26th, 2020, His Beatitude Anastasios, Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania, was admitted to the Hygeia Hospital in Tirana after cardiac discomfort. He was diagnosed with coronary artery stenosis and on the same day an angioplasty was successfully performed with the placement of two stents. Today, Saturday, glory be to God, He recovery is particularly satisfactory. The attending physicians informed Him
†Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania Easter 2020 Fearlessness “Be not afraid” (Matt. 28:10) An essential gift that the Risen Lord bestowed upon us is noted in the hymn of the Paschal period: “When the doors were shut, Jesus came to the Disciples and gave them fearlessness and peace”. By the power that this fearlessness offers, the disciples, earlier discouraged by
Christ Is Risen! Our enforced staying in qurantine these days, has led us to appreciate many of the gifts God has granted us. For example: the gift of freedom. Just thinking that we are not free, makes us feel spiritually ill and in melancholy. Or the gift of friendship, relationship and communication. Certain theologians claim that hell is nothing more than the incapability to
Solidarity will defeat the pandemic The ideal for the continuance of humanity cannot be the right of the powerful but the globalization of solidarity Interview by Margarita Pournara, KATHIMERINI April 12th, Sunday edition. English translation by the language service of the Archdiocese of Tirana. The voice of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania from the other end of the telephone exudes as always serenity and wisdom. Either
Message to the Albanian Mass Media †Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania RESISTENCE TO THE PANDEMIC My beloved brothers and sisters, We are all astounded, as if a new World War has been declared by an invisible enemy, the Corona Virus. We are all standing uneasily before the unforeseen changes, brought about by this unprecedented pandemic, to the life
†Anastasios Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania Christmas 2019 RECONCILIATION At Christmas, the great feast of the coming of the Son and Word of God to the oikoumene, we reflect upon the amazing initiative of God the Father for the reconciliation with the human race. In His infinite love He “has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live
