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One day, the capital of the Orthodox world

2025-01-30 20:18:00, Opinione Mero Baze

Opinion from Mero Baze

Albania was today the capital of the Orthodox in the world. The primates of all the Orthodox churches in the world and their extended delegations, from Syria, Jerusalem, Russia and Sinai, including the Patriarch of Istanbul, were in Tirana today to accompany perhaps the greatest personality of the Orthodox world, to whom fate had given the role of our Archbishop. This was also the last gift that Archbishop Anastasios gave to Albania.

To understand the power of a leader, whether spiritual or political, the day of his departure is very useful. It is there that one understands what he was able to accomplish from his mission in life.

When Ibrahim Rugova was overthrown in January 2006, Pristina became the headquarters of the European Union. All the foreign ministers of the European Union, representatives from the US, Canada and other countries important to Albanians, were in Pristina.

It was understood that, even though Ibrahim Rugova was leaving this world without yet achieving formal independence for Kosovo, with his death he had de facto declared it. It was understood that his mission had been fulfilled.

Today, Archbishop Anastasios gathered in Tirana the entire Orthodox world, which honored not only his personality, but his efforts to reestablish the Orthodox Church in Albania, in a country where it is neither the only nor the main religion. And this makes his effort many times more sacred and his results many times more admirable by thousands of believers.

One day, the capital of the Orthodox world

All those who try to view Archbishop Anastasios' efforts as an extension of Hellenism in Albania, whether Greek or Albanian, due to the identification of Hellenism with Orthodoxy, insult his 34-year commitment to Albanian Orthodoxy.

After 34 years, he left Albania an Albanian synod, a hierarchy of servants of the Orthodox Church entirely Albanian, and a discipline and meritocracy that will serve the Orthodox Church in Albania for a long time. He left Albania not simply the walls of new churches, schools or temples of Orthodoxy, but the revived power of the faith that had been destroyed.

Albania, unfortunately, failed to use his figure sufficiently and appropriately to help the country better position itself in the Western world, but I hope that the tribute we pay him today will serve as an apology for our mistakes towards him.

Today's ceremony at the Tirana Cathedral exposed Albania to the world as a dignified country, with a religious harmony that is reflected in the respect of the majority of Albanian society for Archbishop Anastasios, transforming the veneration for him into a value for Albania.

The only incident that occurred during the ceremony, fortunately, was not noticed by anyone. And of course, it was related to Sali Berisha. His guard went to the names set by the protocol of the ceremony, removed the name of Minister Dendias and placed the name of Sali Berisha, so that he was sitting next to the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He did this in front of everyone, and although the Guard asked him to return the name to the place designated by the protocol, he did not do it.

One day, the capital of the Orthodox world

The man who tried his whole life to expel Archbishop Anastasios, even through the Constitution, calling him an illegal Greek, today was doing everything he could to be sitting in an illegal chair next to the Greek Prime Minister, at a ceremony where Archbishop Anastasios would be laid to rest in his legal and eternal residence in the heart of Tirana – as the Anastasios of Albania.

One day, the capital of the Orthodox world

Today, thanks to Archbishop Anastasios, Albania was the capital of the Orthodox world. What he tried to do throughout his life, he accomplished on his last day on earth – through his name. /CNA