Your Beatitude Archbishop Joan of Albania,

Distinguished Graces, Members of the European Parliament, of national assemblies and Ambassadors.

First let me thank the three MEPs Messieurs Beleri, Papandreu and Farantouris for the initiative to hold this commemoration here, in the European Parliament, on the first anniversary of the passing of his Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania.

It is indeed a honorable and challenging task to compose a remembrance speech of such a magnificent personality who was the tireless artisan for 33 years of the Resurrection of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.

Archbishop Anastasios with his predestined name, entered on Tuesday, January 28, 2025, for the last time—and never to leave again—the majestic cathedral built at his initiative in the heart of the Albanian capital and placed by him under the invocation of the Resurrection of Christ, accompanied and carried by the seven bishops of the Albanian synod reconstituted by him and the dozens of priests and deacons ordained by him, surrounded by a moved and grateful crowd, throwing flowers on his path and on his open coffin.

Dignitaries including the world Orthodox leaders, a large Vatican and World Council of Churches delegations, the Albanian Catholic, Sunni, Bektashi leadership, the current and past head of government from Albania and Greece lined up on both sides of his body on the burial day.

The charisma of his demeanor, the softness of his tone, the twinkle in his eye, the acuteness of his wit, the breadth of his vision, his keen capacity to listen, the warmth of his compassion—all these made for untold precious recollections and experiences, which are treasured in the minds and hearts of the people who experienced him.

One always felt that Archbishop Anastasios was larger than life. He had achieved far more than what for any other person might comprise many lifetimes of work with his prodigious academic scholarship, his vast ecumenical service, and his exceptional selfless and successful missionary tenure in Africa.

He was undoubtedly a trailblazer. As professor of religion, none but he would teach courses on the importance and influence of the rise of Islam at a time (as far back as the mid-1970s!) when hardly anyone was interested, let alone informed, of its emergence as a global reality and force.

He was one of the most influential Orthodox figures in the ecumenical movement for decades, a towering figure whose contributions to the World Council of Churches (WCC) shaped its mission and broadened its vision. He served as both a visionary theologian and a pragmatic leader, for example in his office as WCC president (to name just one of many), contributing profoundly to the WCC’s mission to bring churches together in mutual understanding and shared witness. His extensive theological writings addressed critical issues, such as the Church’s mission in a pluralistic world, interfaith dialogue, environmental stewardship, the theology of reconciliation, social justice, and the Church’s role in addressing global economic inequality. He would state: “I believe we should be present in inter-Christian dialogue, that we should not withdraw to our corner, that we should not label ourselves as some kind of distilled water. There are those who accuse me, claiming that by engaging in ecumenical dialogue, I am somehow betraying my Orthodox beliefs and principles. To those people I respond that Orthodoxy is a precious diamond, which has nothing to fear or lose from exposure to others. In fact, it only shines more brightly as a result.”

During the Holy Synod in Crete (2016), his mere presence and meaningful interventions were capable of turning otherwise depressing discussions into inspirational moments. His words, that “the oil of religion should not be used to fuel the fire of conflict and war, but to soothe souls and heal wounds,” will forever echo in history through the conciliar encyclical.

Perhaps he resembles somehow culturally to the founders of the European Community Schuman, Adenauer and De Gasperi who were raised near borders and new the culture on both sides of them and  in the 50s of the previous century overcame those strict legacy borders searching to establish something bigger and greater. Anastasios demonstrated it also with his unparalleled visionary transformation of the Orthodox Church of Albania.

He was a man filled with the vocation and aspiration of spreading the gospel of love and discipleship “to all nations” (Mt 28.19). That was his cherished scriptural verse, which he labelled “The Forgotten Commandment” in one his earliest lectures in 1959; he observed further that “missionary work is not merely beneficial or pleasant, but a commandment and a commission.”

The last decades witnessed a church literally raised from ashes and ruins. Of its past, Anastasios noted: “It was a time when there reigned in Albania the breath of Hades. A militant atheism had extinguished consciences, suffocated whatever human life values as most precious: freedom, faith, and love. They assassinated and buried Christ, sealing the tomb for decades with a stone of impenetrable silence. And then they jubilantly announced the death of God. Yet this period was to pass forever. With the words “Christ is Risen” on my lips, I would travel the cities and villages of Albania.”

He laid the foundations of the resurrected Autocephalous Orthodox Church, established more than 400 parishes, built and restored hundreds of churches, ordained 145 new clergy members, while also founding dozens of educational, healthcare, and charitable institutions—a small, or perhaps a great, miracle. Amidst the ruins.

But as Archbishop Joan has underlined “ Archbishop Anastasios was not satisfied with just building churches; his goal was a church where God would be worshipped in spirit and truth. His preaching has always been centered on love and respect for every human being. Our country needs this spirit. The whole world needs this spirit”.

This was no easy endeavour. To understand the full power of this image, one must delve back into the Albania that Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos found when he arrived there in 1991 as exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, which had asked him to assess the situation and lay the foundations for the restoration of the Orthodox Church: the country had the sad distinction of being the only one in the world declared an "atheist country," not by a law but by its constitution; since 1967 all churches and mosques in the country had been destroyed or repurposed for various institutions, all clergy had been arrested or even executed or at least forcibly reconverted to various professions, and all religious practice was rigorously prohibited.

Archbishop Anastasios was soon after elected in 1992, on an exceptional basis by the synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to the primatial seat of the Church of Albania, to which the latter had granted autocephaly in 1937 but whose hierarchy had been annihilated by the atheist regime and which was not then in a position to propose a candidate for the episcopate.

Some, lacking obviously religious culture, had difficulty understanding that the Archbishop's Greek nationality was not an obstacle to the accomplishment of his mission, which he envisaged only from a pastoral angle. While respecting the memory of the remarkable figures of that era (for example, Archbishop Fan Noli, an eminent man of the Church, letters, and politics from the Albanian diaspora, who died in Boston in 1965 and notably made an important contribution to the process of translating liturgical texts into Albanian at the beginning of the 20th century), it was on new, exclusively religious bases that he believed he had to rebuild the Church for the benefit of all Orthodox faithful in the country, ethnic Albanians or not.

Following the Paschal troparion "By death He has conquered death": it is because it had died under the blows of the atheist regime that the Church of Albania was resurrected under the leadership of this charismatic prelate with a resurrectional name, who in ordinary times would not have gone to this foreign country; and this rebirth has as its center and symbol an impressive Cathedral of the Resurrection, whose astonishing architecture is a hymn to the harmonious fusion of tradition and modernity, a testimony to the presence of the Church in the world; ironically it stands tall near buildings that were central to Communist repression reminding the visitors of the above paschal troparion. In its basements, the best concert hall in Tirana has been set up, which hosts numerous high-level artistic cultural events and above all the victorious affirmation of a living Orthodox Church.

The Church of Albania supported of the victims in Sarajevo during the 1992–1995 Bosnian War, a gesture of generosity performed irrespective of the religious persuasion or ethnic background of the recipients. Similar humanitarian support was again extended later when hundreds of thousands of dollars in food packages were provided to over 30,000 victims and refugees from Kosovo. The archbishop surprised, even shocked, many when, in the midst of a period of crisis, he raised money to restore a mosque in the same war-torn region. For Anastasios, coexistence and solidarity do not imply fusion or syncretism. Instead, they signify something far more positive: namely, an attitude of mutual respect and sincere understanding.

Archbishop Anastasios led our church in an era of revival that lasted over three decades and ended with him. In the post-communist wasteland, he, like very few others, could combine a personality with worldwide reputation, apostolic and pastoral dedication, as well as gentleness and patience of character. And he raised a church from the ruins, making it a spiritual and social factor for Christians and beyond. With his wisdom, he also dispelled baseless prejudices that are not lacking here and there. Archbishop Anastasios, who obtained our country’s citizenship, earned the trust and respect of Albanians, religious and non-religious alike. And for many believers, Archbishop Anastas took on the traits of a saint.

*Former MP Genc Pollo’s address at the commemoration held in the European Parliament, on the first anniversary of the passing of his Beatitude, Archbishop Anastasios of Albania.