"God enabled me in a dark period to find the light"/ The untold stories of Archbishop Ioannis

2025-04-04 11:31:00, Aktualitet CNA

The Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and all of Albania, Joan, gave an interview to the Greek media outlet "ERTNews" where he spoke about his studies at the theological school in Boston, his return to Albania, the contribution of the late Archbishop Anastasios, and how the Church can touch the younger generation.

"God enabled me in a dark period to find the light"/ The untold

Initially, His Beatitude focused on what inspired him to dedicate his life to Orthodoxy, as well as his studies abroad.

"My first contact with the Gospel was in high school. A friend of my brother's gave me a book in French. He didn't know what book it was. I had just learned French. When I read the Gospel I felt something inside me that is difficult to describe," said Bishop Joani.

The Archbishop emphasized that despite studying in America, he had a desire to return to Albania in the early 1990s to contribute to the revival of the church, while also sharing details from his acquaintance with Archbishop Anastasios. Archbishop Joan emphasized that Archbishop Anastasios has a great contribution to the revival of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.

"I studied in Boston, I got a master's degree in Theology and an even higher degree in Theology, and when I finished my studies, maybe a year before I finished my studies, I came into contact with Archbishop Anastasios through Metropolitan Dimitrios, who was my Old Testament teacher, who told me about the archbishop," said Bishop Joani.

"God enabled me in a dark period to find the light"/ The untold .

Bishop Joan also focused on the role of the Church in addressing social problems such as poverty, unemployment, and immigration. He emphasized that the Church's duty is to help all those who are poor, both economically and spiritually, to have a rich spiritual life.

The Archbishop did not hesitate to convey a message to young people seeking faith and hope. At the end of the interview, he spoke about what he considers the greatest miracle he has experienced in his life, which was contact with the Gospel.

"With love and respect for young people, I want to advise them to find a purpose in their lives, because this is exactly what the modern era is changing. The purpose of existence has been lost," said the Archbishop.

"God enabled me in a dark period to find the light"/ The untold

His Eminence Joan Pelushi was elected Archbishop of the Albanian Orthodox Church on March 16 after Archbishop Anastas passed away, and was enthroned at the head of the church on March 29./CNA