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With deep sorrow and in the hope of the Resurrection, the Orthodox Church in America joins the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania and the entire Orthodox world in mourning the falling asleep of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania, who reposed in the Lord on January 25, 2025, at the age of 95.
A major figure in modern Orthodoxy, His Beatitude was instrumental in restoring the Orthodox Church of Albania following decades of state-sponsored persecution. Through his efforts, churches were rebuilt, seminaries and charitable institutions were established, and a new generation of clergy and faithful were formed, ensuring the Church’s revival after one of the most severe periods of oppression in Christian history. His missionary zeal, pastoral wisdom, and unwavering faith in Christ left a deep mark on the Orthodox world.
May the Lord make his memory to be eternal!
