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Archbishop Joan's strong message at the enthronement of His Grace Anastasius: Let Korça become a model for the entire Orthodox world

2025-09-27 14:07:00, Aktualitet CNA

Archbishop Joan's strong message at the enthronement of His Grace

Archbishop Joan gave strong messages at the enthronement ceremony of the new Metropolitan of Korça, Anastas.

Part of his speech was dedicated to Korça as the city of culture, the cradle of education, as a center of spiritual resistance where the National Renaissance was born and the first Albanian school was opened.

Archbishop Joan emphasized that today, as in our entire country, Korça faces major challenges such as the massive emigration of young people, the aging of the population, economic difficulties, the influence of secularism, the loss of traditional values, and the weakening of the family, which is the pillar of having a healthy and functional society.

The Archbishop expressed his belief that Metropolitan of Korça, Anastasios, will find creative answers to all the aforementioned challenges.

His Beatitude emphasized that the people of Korça expect much from His Grace Anastasius, the clergy expect leadership, the young people inspiration, the elderly comfort, and the poor help.

“In difficult moments, remember the simplicity and piety of Father Cosmas, the humility and patience of His Grace Ignatius, the wisdom and love of Archbishop Anastasius in his unparalleled work in rebuilding our Church from the ruins. But especially remember the words of the Apostle: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13), for without Christ we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).

You are not alone - behind you stands our entire Church, the Holy Synod, the venerable clergy and hundreds of thousands of believers who will pray for you. Always remember that God's grace has been given to you and that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and wisdom (2 Tim. 1:7). Together we will continue the sacred task entrusted to us.

"May the Metropolis flourish under your leadership! May Korça become a center of spiritual radiance for our entire country, a model for the entire Orthodox world!" declared Archbishop Joan.

Archbishop Joan's full speech

Dear brother hierarchs, Honorable clergy and laity, Dear believers.

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Let us thank God for his unspeakable gift (2 Cor. 9:15). Today is a great day of joy and blessing for the Metropolis of Korça and for our entire Church. We have gathered in this Cathedral Church, dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ, to enthrone the new Metropolitan, His Grace Anastasios, a devout son of our Church, who brings to this sacred task a combination of experience and spiritual dedication.

Before I speak of the new Metropolitan, let me recall with deep gratitude the titanic work that was done in this holy Metropolis by the late Archbishop Anastasios. When he arrived here, as in all of Albania, he found an extremely difficult situation. The churches were destroyed or turned into warehouses, the faithful were frightened and scattered, the clergy were almost completely absent, and the very notion of Orthodox life had weakened. But by the grace of God and with the support of the devout faithful, he began the great work of reconstruction, both for the establishment of the physical and spiritual infrastructure: an extraordinary feat, which he carried out with complete success.

I had the blessing and privilege of continuing his work for 27 years. Although it was a job full of challenges and obstacles, here I found a wonderful, devout and hopeful Orthodox community, who supported me and stood by me in every difficulty. The years I have spent here are among the most beautiful in my life and Korça, as well as every city and village of this Metropolis, every church, every parish and every believing family, are and will be forever in my heart.

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Your Grace, brother and co-priest in Christ. You come to this Metropolis at an important moment. The foundations have been laid, the structures have been built, but the work of strengthening and deepening the faith must continue with new intensity. And you are the right person for this mission. Therefore, today, with great joy but also with deep emotion, I am handing over to you this precious treasure. I am handing it over not as something that belongs to me, but as a sacred trust that Archbishop Anastasios once entrusted to me, and which now passes to you to preserve, cultivate and further develop. I know that I am leaving it in safe and capable hands. Your experience, your formation, and above all, your proven dedication, give me complete assurance that Korça will flourish under your leadership.

And here I want to dwell a little longer on your personal example, because it is particularly inspiring for our time. You had an excellent career in the business world. For 12 years you worked in prestigious banks, you held management positions, you had a secure and bright future in material terms. Many young people today would be satisfied with half of what you had achieved.

But in 2017, at the height of your professional success, you heard the Lord's call: Follow me! (Matt. 9:9). And you, like Matthew the tax collector, like Peter and Andrew the fishermen, left everything and followed Christ. This is not just a personal story - it is a powerful message for our materialistic society that thinks happiness is found in money and power.

Your decision to leave your banking career and dedicate yourself to the Church is living proof that Christ continues to call people in the 21st century, and that there are still courageous people who respond to this call. You are living proof that the word of the Gospel is alive and active, that it is not a relic of the past, but a transformative force for the present and the future.

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Your path to this moment has been long. You were born in Vlora in 1979. From a young age you showed a thirst for knowledge, first studying Greek in Athens, then studying at the University of Vlora, obtaining a degree in Business Administration (MSc) during the years 2001-2005. These studies gave you a broad intellectual and cultural formation. Your spiritual father Kozmà Qirjo, this humble but magnificent servant of our Church, a silent martyr of the communist years, baptized you in 1992, sowing in your young heart the seed of love for Christ and the Church. From him you learned that true faith does not lie in big words, but in small deeds of love. You learned that the Church survived not with politics and diplomacy, but with prayer and sacrifice.

Your collaboration with the unforgettable Metropolitan Ignat of Berat was another school of formation, where you learned from his wisdom and spiritual experience. Throughout your years at the bank, from 2005 to 2017, you never separated yourself from the Church. Since 2006, you were an active member of the Clerical-Laity Council, contributing with your professional expertise to the administration of the Church.

When you finally dedicated yourself fully to the Church in 2017, your progress was rapid but natural. The unforgettable Archbishop Anastasios, seeing your dedication, elevated you within two years from deacon to priest, and then to archimandrite. This was not simply a hierarchical advancement, but a recognition of your complete dedication. Each ordination was not only a liturgical act, but a moment of formation, a transmission of experience and wisdom.

From the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, from the spiritual life of our Church throughout the centuries, as well as from our ancestors, we learn that a spiritual father must lead his flock with love and devotion. We learn that the true shepherd does not lord it over the flock, but serves it and gives his life for it (Jn. 10:11). That pastoral love is not abstract, but concrete - it is to visit the sick, to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to comfort the sorrowful, to strengthen the weak, to teach the ignorant, and to guide the lost.

We also learn how to combine wisdom with simplicity, authority with humility, vision with realism, and how to build not only church buildings, but also spiritual temples in the hearts of people. That we should always speak the truth, but as St. Paul teaches us: Let us speak the truth in love (Eph.4:15), not in hatred. To hate sin, but to love the sinner. And above all, we learn to love God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God (Rom.8:26). By keeping these teachings in your mind and heart and applying them with devotion in your life and work, you will save both yourself and those who listen to you (1Tim. 4:16).

Your Excellency, Korça is the cultural capital of Albania, the cradle of national education and the center of spiritual resistance, where the National Renaissance was born and the first Albanian school was opened. But today, as in our entire country, it too faces great challenges: the massive emigration of young people, the aging population, economic difficulties, the influence of secularism, the loss of traditional values ??and the weakening of the family, which is the pillar of having a healthy and functional society.

I am convinced that you will find creative answers to these challenges. You will know how to communicate with young people in their own language, using modern tools, but without compromising the eternal message. Your experience as executive director of LOGOS, member of the boards of the "Evangelization" Clinic and the "Frymë Dashurie" school, as well as your duties as Protosingjel of the Archdiocese, have proven your ability to lead educational institutions and to understand the social dimension of the Gospel. Meanwhile, your theological studies at LOGOS University have given you depth in doctrine and spiritual life.

You are called to be not only a capable administrator, but above all a spiritual one, a guide and comforter. You are called to be a light that illuminates the darkness, a voice that proclaims the truth, a living testimony that Christ is alive. The people of Korça expect much from you: the clergy expect leadership, the young expect inspiration, the elderly expect comfort and the poor expect help.

In difficult moments, remember the simplicity and piety of Father Cosmas, the humility and patience of His Grace Ignatius, the wisdom and love of Archbishop Anastasius in his unparalleled work in rebuilding our Church from the ruins. But especially remember the words of the Apostle: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Phil. 4:13), for without Christ we can do nothing (Jn. 15:5).

You are not alone - behind you stands our entire Church, the Holy Synod, the venerable clergy and hundreds of thousands of believers who will pray for you. Always remember that God's grace has been given to you and that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and wisdom (2 Tim. 1:7). Together we will continue the sacred task entrusted to us.

May the Metropolis flourish under your leadership! May Korça become a center of spiritual radiance for our entire country, a model for the entire Orthodox world!

I wish you a long and fruitful life in the blessed vineyard of our Lord and God Jesus Christ! Worthy! Axios!