A year without Archbishop Anastasios/Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: His life and ministry bore luminous witness to the Gospel of Christ

2026-01-22 19:44:00, Aktualitet CNA

A year without Archbishop Anastasios/Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew: His life

At the international memorial conference in honor of the late Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios, on the occasion of the first anniversary of his passing, the greeting of His Holiness, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, was also read.

The head of the Greek Patriarchate of Constantinople has described the late Archbishop Anastasios as an extraordinary hierarch, whose life and ministry brilliantly witnessed to the Gospel of Christ in both word and deed.

Further in the Ecumenical Patriarch's letter, the conference theme "Greatness in Doing and Learning" clearly summarizes Archbishop Anastasios' missionary vision.

GREETINGS OF HIS ALL-HONEST ECCUMENICAL PATRIARCH BARTHOLOMEW:

His Beatitude, Archbishop Joan of Tirana, Durrës and all of Albania, to the esteemed organizers, scholars and participants of the International Scientific Conference gathered in Tirana in honor of the blessed memory of the late Archbishop of Albania, Anastasius,

Dear spiritual children in the Lord: Grace to you and peace from God.

With fatherly joy and heartfelt sentiment, we send our Patriarchal greetings and blessings to all gathered for this scientific assembly, called to commemorate the first anniversary of the repose in the Lord of the ever-remembered Archbishop of Albania, Anastasios—an extraordinary hierarch, whose life and ministry bore luminous witness to the Gospel of Christ both in word and deed. We congratulate the LOGOS University College in Tirana for this worthy initiative and express our appreciation to Professor Emerita Dimitra Koukoura of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Academic Advisor, and to Dr. Georgios Gaitanos, Head of the Department of Theology and Culture, whose dedicated efforts made possible this gathering of scholars and young researchers in the spirit of humble inquiry, ecclesiastical responsibility, and theological sensitivity.

The theme of this Conference: "Greatness in doing and in learning," drawn from the words of the Lord in the Holy Gospel, summarizes with particular clarity the ecclesial ethos and missionary vision of Archbishop Anastasios. In his person, scriptural reflection was never separated from pastoral action, nor was evangelization separated from humility, dialogue and love. His life stands as a living synthesis of proclamation and service, teaching and sacrifice.

It is therefore most fitting that your discussions address the vital themes of inter-Christian and inter-religious cooperation, evangelization based on sound theological witness and lived practice, and the shining example of Albania, where the Church, reborn from disaster, has offered a convincing demonstration of faith, reconciliation, and peaceful coexistence. Through these prisms, the legacy of Archbishop Anastasios continues to speak—not as a memory locked in the past, but as a call to the present and future of the Church.

The participation of young academics and theologians in this worthy endeavor offers a sign of hope, ensuring that the spiritual and doctrinal heritage entrusted to us is received with discernment, studied with rigor, and transmitted with fidelity. Such intellectual engagement, when rooted in ecclesial conscience, serves not only academia but also the life and mission of the Church itself.

As this Conference takes place under the auspices of His Grace Archbishop Joan, we pray for all participants the illumination of the Holy Spirit, that your reflections may be fruitful, your dialogue sincere, and your work may contribute to strengthening theological understanding, mutual respect, and shared Christian witness in the contemporary world.

From the Venerable Center of Orthodoxy in the historic Lighthouse in the Queen of Cities, we embrace you all with fatherly love and invoke upon your works the abundant grace and blessing of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the memory of Archbishop Anastasios be eternal. / CNA