Archbishop Joan participates in the Aqaba Summit/Visits holy sites in Jordan

2025-12-10 18:04:00, Aktualitet CNA

The Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, His Beatitude Joan, participates in the Aqaba Summit and visits the holy sites in Jordan.

In the framework of the 10th anniversary of the Aqaba Process, the Summit organized by the King of Jordan, Mr. Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein and the Prime Minister of Albania, Mr. Edi Rama, took place from 8 - 9 December 2025 in Aqaba, Jordan, with the participation of leaders of religious communities from the Balkans and the East.

From our country, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, His Beatitude Joani, Archbishop of Tirana, Monsignor Arjan Dodaj, and the President of the Muslim Community of Albania, Mr. Bujar Spahiu, participated.

The Summit was attended by primates of the Orthodox Churches, Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilus III; Patriarch of Antioch, John X; Patriarch of Serbia, Porphyry, with whom Archbishop John held meetings, and representatives of the Orthodox Church of Romania, Bulgaria, the Archbishopric of Ohrid, etc.

The Roman Catholic Church was represented by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Representatives of the Muslim communities of the Balkans and the Middle East were also present.
The summit was a historic opportunity to address the communities with respect and brotherly love, emphasizing that the peoples of the region share more than a millennium of common history, rich in religious heritage, cultural, scientific and artistic achievements, but also with periods of suffering, conflict and wounds that have left their mark on the collective memory.

The representatives hope that in the future interfaith cooperation and understanding will be deepened, with the aim of serving communities, peoples and national minorities. The Summit declaration recalled the holy figures and heroes of the Balkan peoples, who with their lives and example proved the value of living faith.

Their example should inspire not only historical reconciliation, but also concrete everyday solidarity and constructive cooperation. “We forgive and ask for forgiveness” - was the central message of the dialogue for coexistence.
Archbishop John accompanied by Archdeacon John visited the Jordan River, the site of the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, and the churches built in this region.