Archbishop Anastasios of Albania passed away this morning at the age of ninety five. His eminence of Greek ancestry was well known for reviving the Albanian Orthodox Church following the collapse of communism. Previous to this he was a missionary in Africa.
He was known for his piety, education, and bringing many Albanians to Christ and his Church during his forty year tenure as Archbishop of that autocephalous Church. More recently, the Archbishop demonstrated his status as a defender of Orthodoxy by opposing Patriarch Bartholomew’s recognition of the pseudo church in Ukraine.
The Archbishop condemned the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church while at times protesting harassment of his own Albanian Church by the secular authorities.
His Memory be eternal!