Source: Peter Anderson, Seattle USA
The Liturgy and Funeral Service for Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and all Albania, primate of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, was held on January 30 in the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Tirana. The entire Liturgy and Funeral Service can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs02Sn76bxE . Six primates of the Local Orthodox Churches were present: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Ecumenical Patriarchate); Patriarch Theodoros (Patriarchate of Alexandria); Patriarch Theophilos (Patriarchate of Jerusalem); Patriarch Daniil (Patriarchate of Bulgaria); Archbishop George (Church of Cyprus); and Archbishop Ieronymos (Church of Greece). The Moscow Patriarchate was represented by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, and the Romanian Patriarchate was represented by Metropolitan Nifon of Târgoviște. There were also representatives present from the Patriarchates of Antioch, Serbia, and Georgia and the Churches of Poland, Czech Lands and Slovakia, and North Macedonia. The delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate also included Elder Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon. https://www.orthodoxianewsagency.gr/aytokefales_ekklisies/ekklisia_albanias/to-ystato-xaire-ston-arxiepiskopo-alvanias-kyro-anastasio-vinteofoto/ From the video, it appears that Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, represented the Vatican.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated solely by bishops and clergy of the Albanian Church. This avoided the need for Metropolitan Anthony to excuse himself from serving in the Liturgy in view of the participation in the Liturgy of primates with whom the Moscow Patriarchate has severed communion. This is similar to the funeral liturgy for Patriarch Neophyte of Bulgaria in March 2024 where only Bulgarian hierarchs served. The Funeral Service for Archbishop Anastasios was led by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and begins at 3:08:00 in the video.
The funeral address of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew can be read at https://fosfanariou.gr/index.php/2025/01/30/epikideios-logoa-ecum-patr-ston-alvanias-anastasio/ It is a beautiful tribute to Archbishop Anastasios. The Ecumenical Patriarch’s remarks were greeted multiple times by applause, including standing applause. See video especially at 5:24:30 to 5:29:10. At one point, 5:28:00, when saying “we bid you farewell,” the Ecumenical Patriarch almost lost his composure. The Ecumenical Patriarch’s address included a story that I had not heard before. The Ecumenical Patriarch stated: “His [the Archbishop’s]holy mother rejected with disgust the doctors’ urging to undergo an abortion, as she was suffering from tuberculosis, because death was supposedly inevitable for both her and the pregnant child!” This child lived 95 years and accomplished so much for Our Lord and His Church during his lifetime! Other speakers at the Funeral were: the WCC’s Moderator, Bishop Prof. Dr Heinrich Bedford-Strohm (text at https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/sermon-by-bishop-heinrich-bedford-strohm-at-the-funeral-of-archbishop-anastasios-of-albania); the Locum Tenens Metropolitan John of Korçë; the niece of the late Archbishop, Roxane Yannoulatos; Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece (text at https://www.primeminister.gr/2025/01/30/35738) ; and Prime Minister Edi Rama of Albania (text at https://www.kryeministria.al/en/newsroom/kryeministri-edi-rama-ne-ceremonine-e-homazheve-ne-nderim-te-kryepeshkopit-te-kishes-ortodokse-autoqefale-te-shqiperise-anastas-janullatos/) .
Archbishop Anastasios was buried in a special crypt under the altar of the Cathedral of the Resurrection. To the best of my knowledge, a date has not yet been set by the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church for its election of a new primate.
As reported in my previous newsletters, the Church of Greece and the Greek government have made special efforts subsequent to the fall of the Assad regime to reach out to the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and offer support. On January 22, Patriarch John X, primate of the Patriarchate of Antioch, “received Metropolitan Ignatios Dimitriados [member of the Church of Greece’s Synodal Committee on Inter-Orthodox Relations]and Father Emmanuel Papamikrouli [secretary of the Synodal Committee]as delegates from Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece and from the Greek government, at the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology in Balamand [Lebanon].” https://antiochpatriarchate.org/en/page/receiving-a-delegation-from-the-greek-orthodox-church/2832/ ; https://www.romfea.gr/patriarxeia-ts/patriarxeio-antioxeias/67524-antiprosopeia-tis-ekklisias-tis-ellados-ston-patriarxi-antioxeias With respect to this meeting, the Greek City Times made the following observation at https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/01/23/greek-orthodox-antioch-john-x / :
The meeting comes following the news that the Greek government will finance 600 clergymen in the diaspora, including the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. With this move, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is on the soft power offensive following the Patriarchate of Moscow’s expansionism in Africa and the recent overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria, with the Christian communities of the Eastern Mediterranean country becoming especially vulnerable since Turkish-backed jihadists came to power.
By placing hundreds of clergy in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa and by strengthening diplomatic efforts to protect Greek Orthodox Christians in Syria, Greece is taking steps to become a shield for Orthodoxy in these regions.
The Greek City Times has also posted a separate article relating to the financing of the 600 clergymen. https://greekcitytimes.com/2025/01/22/greece-600-greek-orthodox-priests/ According to the latter article, the “Greek government’s plans have already been completed, and the special legislative regulation is expected to be implemented within the first quarter of 2025.” The regulation “aims to recruit 50-70 clergymen annually until the 600 positions are fulfilled.”
Three days later, on January 25, Patriarch John met at Balamand with Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Department of External Relations (DECR) of the Moscow Patriarchate. https://mospat.ru/en/news/92808/ In addition to Metropolitan Anthony, the Russian delegation included such persons as Archpriest Nikolai Balashov (advisor to Patriarch Kirill) and Alexander Rudakov (Russian Ambassador to Lebanon). With respect to the meeting, the website of the DECR states in part: “In the cordial atmosphere, the participants in the meeting discussed at length a wide range of issues of mutual interest and concern, including the plight of Christians in the Middle East and other regions, prospects of promoting further the fraternal cooperation between the Antiochian and the Moscow Patriarchates, and the current state of inter-Orthodox and inter-Christian relations…. After the meeting, Patriarch John gave a dinner in honour of the DECR chairman and other members of the Russian Church’s delegation.” Although the official website and the Facebook site of the Antiochian Patriarchate publicized the meeting with the Church of Greece, both of these sites are completely silent with respect to the Patriarch’s meeting with Metropolitan Anthony and the Russian Ambassador and with respect to the dinner that followed.
Lastly, there is the sad news that Father Ronald G. Roberson, CSP, died on January 19 at the age of 74. For 28 years, until his retirement in 2023, he was the key staff person at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who was responsible for Orthodox – Catholic relations in the United States. Any American Catholic who has worked seriously in the field of ecumenical relations with the Orthodox would know Father Roberson. Personally, he has helped me many times. Father Roberson received his doctorate degree from the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome in 1988 after defending his thesis on “Contemporary Romanian Orthodox Ecclesiology.” From 1988 to 1992 he worked at the Vatican with the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. Beginning in 2005, he was a member of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. https://paulist.org/who-we-are/bio/ronald-g-roberson-c-s-p/ ; http://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en/news/2024/2024-01-21-rip-ron-roberson.html Thank you, Father Roberson, for all that you have done for Christian unity. May he rest in peace!
Peter Anderson, Seattle USA