"You have performed great and wonderful works"/ Patriarch Bartholomew's appreciation for His Beatitude Joanin

2025-06-16 15:24:00, Aktualitet CNA

"You have performed great and wonderful works"/ Patriarch

On Sunday, at the historic church of Saint George in Istanbul (Constantinople), the Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and all Albania, His Beatitude, Archbishop Ioan co-presided over the Divine Liturgy with the hierarchs of the Ecumenical Patriarchate present, led by His All-Holiness, Bartholomew.

In his speech, Patriarch Bartholomew praised the figure of His Beatitude Joan, whom he said he has known for years as the most valuable collaborator of Archbishop Anastasios.

The Patriarch also focused on the works of His Beatitude Joan, of which he said that their benevolence is not limited to the Orthodox, but spreads throughout the entire Albanian people.

“ We have known you, Your Beatitude, for many years as the most trusted and most precious collaborator of your late predecessor, the unforgettable and inimitable Archbishop Anastasios, this New Apostle of Albania! Together you have patiently endured the heat of the day and the cold of the night for more than thirty difficult years! Together you have risked, you have labored for the sake of the Gospel and the people of God, and you have performed great and wonderful works, the goodness of which is not limited only within the circle of Orthodox Christians, but spreads to the entire Albanian people, regardless of religion.

Also, together with the brilliant Anastasius, you made the presence of the Church of Albania at the Holy and Great Synod of the Orthodox Church, which was held in Crete, exactly nine years ago, even brighter, and you contributed decisively, together with other fellow bishops, to the success of its work!

It is understandable, therefore, that you enjoy a very high esteem in these holy courts and have a special place in our hearts! Therefore, feel joyful, full of freedom and comfort among us, just as you feel in your parents' home! Christ is among us, blessing and sanctifying us and our inter-church fraternal relations ," Patriarch Bartholomew said.