Orthodox Archbishop Anastasios of Albania dies at 95 following illness

Rome Newsroom, Jan 28, 2025 / 14:25 pm

Orthodox Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos of Albania, 95, died on Jan. 25 in Greece due to a recent illness. He led the Albanian Orthodox Church for nearly 33 years.  

Under his leadership, after the fall of communism, more than 400 parishes were reopened and several new churches were built to support the faith and piety of Albania’s Orthodox communities in the predominantly Muslim nation.

Born on Nov. 4, 1929, in Piraeus, Greece, Anastasios was ordained a priest in the Church of Greece in 1964 after completing his studies in theology and the history of religions.

After working as a missionary in several African countries — including Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania — for more than a decade, Anastasios returned to Greece and was elevated to bishop of Androusa in 1972. From 1981 to 1991, he served as acting archbishop of the Holy Archbishopric of Irinopolis in Africa.

Sent to Albania in 1991 to rebuild the Orthodox Church soon after the fall of communism in the country on Dec. 11, 1990, Anastasios was appointed primate of Albania in August 1992.

In addition to reopening more than 400 parishes, Anastasios ordained approximately 155 new priests to revitalize the Orthodox Church in Albania and erected several educational and charitable institutions in the country.

Following news of the prelate’s death, Catholic Bishop Gjergj Meta of Rrëshen, Albania, praised the late Anastasios in a letter addressed to the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church.

“The contribution of His Beatitude [Anastasios] will remain in the history of our country as that of a missionary of the Gospel immediately after the fall of communism, but also as that of a good father and pastor who rebuilt the Orthodox Church of Albania with his wisdom, perseverance, and vision,” Meta wrote.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Greek Orthodox Church leaders, and the World Council of Churches also expressed their condolences.

Respected for his impactful leadership beyond the Orthodox sphere, Anastasios was recognized as a champion of peace and interreligious dialogue within Albania and with other Christian churches worldwide.

In 2000, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and, in 2006, he was appointed president of the World Council of Churches as well as honorary president of the World Conference of Religions for Peace.

In April 2018, he hosted Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill in Albania and called for “an immediate end to Russia’s fratricidal war against Ukraine,” La Croix International reported.