Source: The National Herald
Analysis by Theodore Kalmoukos
The passing and particularly the Funeral Service of the late Archbishop Anastasios of Albania offers a unique opportunity to begin a new chapter in the restoration of the unity of the divided Orthodox Church in the world.
Let me address the issue: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew was the first to express his intention to travel to Albania for Anastasios’ funeral service—a decision both correct and commendable. In the face of the enigma and universal reality of death, everything else must take a secondary position, or relationships and stances must be reassessed.
I am aware of the tension that had arisen in recent years between these two esteemed Orthodox Church leaders, Bartholomew and Anastasios, due to the “peculiar” issue of granting autocephaly to a specific faction of Ukrainians. This move, instead of resolving the ecclesiastical issue in Ukraine, turned it from “settled” to “unsettled chaos.”
Anastasios, both privately and publicly through official statements, expressed his opposition and proposed a Synaxis (gathering) of the Primates to reexamine the matter and find a viable solution. Bartholomew, on the other hand, largely due to “prestige” and privileges, was unwilling to consent to such a move, particularly after experiencing the Russians’ maneuvers and their attempt to sabotage the Great Council of Crete in 2016.
However, as the three leading Primates recently emphasized in interviews with the National Herald—His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece, His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and All Africa, and His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios of New Justiniana and All Cyprus—“something must be done; this division of the Church cannot continue.”
Having known Patriarch Bartholomew for many years, I tend to agree with what Archbishop Georgios stated, which I quote again here:
The National Herald: “Of course, the ability to take initiatives lies with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. Have you considered, along with other Primates, initiating informal communication with him, going to meet him, and saying something must be done?”
Archbishop Georgios: “He would never refuse us; we know that. He is a man who receives us all with humility and love, but if he judged that such an initiative would yield results, I believe he would not hesitate to make the proposal himself and invite us. He, as the one bearing the responsibility, contemplates this issue daily and considers ways to restore normalcy and reunite Orthodoxy.”
May this process begin, even over the sacred remains of the late Archbishop Anastasios of Albania. May it be so. After all, history records all of us.