Anastasios had referred to the difficulties and challenges he faced when he took office as Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania , in an interview he gave to APE-MPE in June 2017, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his election. The following is the published text : "In Albania, the first thing I felt was a great pain and a sense of sorrow for what had happened, which we from abroad had simply watched as spectators."

With a revealing testimony, the Primate of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, His Holiness Anastasios, tells the Athenian-Macedonian News Agency his personal ongoing struggle, the expectation, the effort, the anguish to "revive" the Orthodox Church in Albania, from June 1992, when he was elected Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all Albania, until today. APE-MPA met him in Larissa, where the municipality honored him for his overall spiritual and social work, for the bridges of love and solidarity that he built.

The Hierarch, in the world Anastasios Giannoulatos, with studies in Greece and Germany, had the prospect, as he points out, of working in our country and in Africa. In January 1991 - while he was a Full Professor at the University of Athens and Vicar of the Holy Metropolis of Irinoupolis in East Africa - he received a phone call from the Ecumenical Patriarchate that he had been chosen as Patriarchal Exarch in Albania, to examine what was left of Orthodoxy in a country that had been under the harshest atheistic persecution for 23 years and had completely disintegrated.

"I had never thought of such a thing. However, obeying the request of the Ecumenical Throne, I accepted this unprecedented mission," he told APE-MPE, noting that it took six months for the Albanian authorities to grant him a visa for his passport. A year later, now in the position of Primate, he finds himself in a difficult environment.

Post-communist Albania

Archbishop Anastasios unfolds the situation that he was called upon to face, then, and the grim reality in Albania in 1992.

"We have had religious persecutions before, but what happened in Albania was something unique. The Church was completely dissolved. We have no similar phenomena in history. There is no other State that was declared atheistic with its Constitution. Enver Hoxha wanted to be original. Most of the churches were demolished or turned into stables, barns, machine shops, cinemas, etc.

All the clergy were forced to abandon their work. The worst thing was not that the churches were demolished, but that the persecutors tried to uproot from the hearts of people the ability to believe. From childhood to university, education was systematically atheistic. The merciless persecution led the country to spiritual collapse. As Dostoevsky characteristically writes, if there is no God, everything is permitted”.

Hope was resurrected

With the great expectation that hope would take root again, His Beatitude arrived in Albania at the age of 62, without knowing the language. “In this country they had crucified and buried Christ for 23 years. But finally Christ is Risen” he points out and continues by saying that the first words he learned were this greeting in Albanian.
 

"When we arrived at the ruined Cathedral of the Annunciation, which in previous years had been turned into a gym, I asked what "Christ is Risen" is called in Albanian. I added, each of you take a candle. When they lit it, I exclaimed "Krishti u Ngiall"! (Christ is Risen!). With great emotion and tears, the few present exclaimed "Vertet u Ngjall"! (Truly He is Risen!). Hope was resurrected. A new perspective for the future was created. The effort these years was made amidst clouds, storms and multiple difficulties. "Christ is Risen" set the pace of the entire process," he emphasizes to APE-MPA.

Mosaic of a Balkan reality

The reality in Albania also determines the peculiarity of the Church, which the Pastor must manage in order to build bridges of love, solidarity and perspective. In addition to the fact that it was a “completely disintegrated Church, it was at the same time a mosaic, if you will, of the Balkan reality”, says Archbishop Anastasios characteristically and lists the particularities of the environment, in which he struggled to convey the message of the Gospel.

“One peculiarity of this Church is that it does not have a homogeneity of national origin. It is something that is not easily perceived. Its members are Albanians, Greeks, Slavs, Vlachs (some connected to Greece, others to Romania, others absorbed by the local society) etc. We tried from the first moment to be all together. Symbolically I emphasized: All the trees in the forest are free to grow under the Sun of Justice. We also accepted those who wanted to follow the Old Calendar. We are a mosaic of Balkan reality. "

The role in society
 

With the basic principle that “every human person is an Image of God, therefore a person to be respected”, Archbishop Anastasios respects all religious beliefs and extends a hand of cooperation and respect to the religious communities of Albania.

As he explains, the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania does not constitute the majority of the country, as in other Balkan regions, but neither is it a small limited minority, as in the centers of the former Patriarchates and he emphasizes:

“We are approximately 20-22% of the country’s population. We have an important role in society. At the same time, there are those who are concerned about this role. We have tried from the very beginning to cultivate mutual understanding and mutual respect. Every human person is respected for us. All people are creations of God. Different religious beliefs are their own choice and their own freedom. We respect them, love them and cooperate with them”.

Dialogue of life with other religious communities

The Hierarch characteristically points out that "the word tolerance has something arrogant about it", while with a calm and serene delivery of his speech he emphasizes: "We seek harmonious relations of understanding and coexistence. The other may be different, but it does not mean that he is an adversary or an enemy. We maintain good relations with the Muslim Sunni community, the Bektashi community, the Roman Catholic and the Protestant. We are in a "dialogue of life". Obviously, we do not make any concessions to our ideas, to our beliefs. We are what we are, but not in a conflictual relationship".

A window open to society and culture

The Cathedral complex, dedicated to the Resurrection of Christ and dominating the center of Tirana, marks the rebirth of the Orthodox Church, while at the same time constituting a cell of culture, a “window open to society,” as the Hierarch notes. In the space under the Cathedral, a Cultural Center was created, which has its doors open for various events. “We are not a closed community, which is afraid and worried. We radiate faith, love and hope. We face people with respect, without fear or worry.”

The agonizing journey for the reestablishment of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church in Albania from the ruins is reflected on the western wall of the chapel of the Cathedral, which is dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. The artist Christos Papanikolaou, a companion of the Hierarch for 18 years, in addition to iconography, dares to capture through images and performances the path to the rebirth of the Church, in the villages and cities of Albania over these 25 years.

The Professor of the School of Fine Arts of Tirana, Vladimir Mirtezaj, in his critical note, refers to the deafening silence of creation in the chapel, where the artist, with skill in the balances of space and through millimeter writing, composes a unique work. The Chapel of the Nativity is an imprint and legacy of culture, which the Archbishop "bequeaths" to the people of Albania.

Problems in the Ministry

In a difficult environment, where Orthodoxy had suffered complete collapse, Archbishop Anastasios, utilizing theological thought and missionary experience of centuries, moved on three levels: a) Use of the mother tongue in worship, catechesis and preaching. b) Creation of native clergy. c) Ensuring economic self-reliance. Specifically, he states: “The worship services are held in the Albanian language. In Greek villages, obviously in Greek, in Slavic parishes in Slavonic, etc.” At the same time, during his 25-year ministry, a monthly newspaper, magazines, books (160) were published in Albanian, which enriched the Orthodox Secretariat.

Regarding the creation of native clergy: Initially, priests from Greece and America stood by Archbishop Anastasios, helping him during the first period of his work. Seminars were organized that evolved into a Theological Academy. “I did not accept any candidate for priesthood if he had not completed secondary education and who was not willing to continue his studies,” the Hierarch points out and adds that to date, approximately 160 clergy have been trained and ordained (of whom more than ten have passed away). Bishops of Albanian origin have also been ordained, with excellent theological studies.
The financial self-reliance of the Autocephalous Church of Albania has been the most difficult task in the entire effort. “We had to secure something stable from local resources. At first we turned to bank deposits. Then to real estate purchases. Finally, with God’s help, with various donations and a bank loan, we carried out the construction of a hydroelectric project. This will ensure the meeting of the basic operational needs of the Church and the continuation of its educational and social work. It is not only the clergy with their families, but also approximately 800 employees in the 30 schools of all levels, in the health centers and in the various social activities.”

The work of love for society

Archbishop Anastasios speaks more generally about the great ordeal and effort in seeking financial resources in order to offer a work of love to the weak society of Albania. “The financial problem was difficult. The Church is very poor. They had confiscated all its property. Nevertheless, during this time we built 150 new churches, repaired 160 others and restored 60 cultural monuments. It was necessary, many times, to build roads, aqueducts, boarding schools, clinics, schools of all levels. All these works are an expression of love for God and man. Thank God, many responded to our requests for financial assistance, from Greece, from various countries in Europe, from America, from Australia. Some cases are particularly moving.”

Archbishop Anastasios, summing up, concludes: "The Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania was not only fully reconstructed with all ecclesiastical structures, but at the same time it contributed substantially to the general uplifting development as well as to the spiritual and social development of Albania."