Archbishop Anastasios of Albania Laid to Rest

OCP News Service – 31/01/2025

Tirana – Albania: Amidst both sorrow and the hope of resurrection, Albania paid its final respects to Archbishop Anastasios on January 30, 2025, at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Tirana. The cathedral overflowed with mourners, including Orthodox Church leaders and delegations from around the world, clergy, monastics, government officials, dignitaries, academics, representatives of various organizations, and countless believers.

The funeral service, held after a Divine Liturgy, was presided over by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, alongside Locum Tenens of the Archdiocesan Throne, Metropolitan John of Korça and the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church. The Resurrection Cathedral choir performed liturgical chants in both Albanian and Greek. Following the service, the coffin containing the late Archbishop was buried at the church crypt.

Joining them were Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, Patriarch Theophilus of Jerusalem, Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens, Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus, and numerous high hierarchs and clergy delegates from various Orthodox Patriarchates and Churches, including Constantinople, Jerusalem, Antioch, Russia, Serbia, Romania, Georgia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archdiocese, and Armenian.

The global significance of Archbishop Anastasios’s life and work was underscored by the presence of high-ranking state leaders, including Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Russian Ambassador to Albania A.A. Zaitsev, Albanian President Bajram Begaj, Speaker of the Albanian Parliament Elisa Spiropali, Tirana Mayor Erion Veliaj, and former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, along with ministers, embassy representatives, and political figures. Representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, other non-Orthodox Christian denominations, the World Council of Churches, and various religious communities within Albania were also in attendance, as were diplomats and numerous public and cultural figures.

Archbishop Anastasios’s commitment to ecumenism and interfaith dialogue was also evident in the broad representation of religious leaders present.