#Anastasios of Albania

[gemsofgreece]

RIP to Anastasios, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania

I was lucky to see him in service in the Orthdox Cathedral in Tirana during my trip to Albania.

Anastasios was born in Piraeus, Greece. He obtained a bachelor and a master with high honours in religious studies in Greece and Germany respectively. He studied various religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, African religions, Islam.

After serving in Greece for a while as deacon and bishop, he went to Uganda. There he studied the local dialects while doing significant missionary and philanthropic work but had to leave after 10 years, after contracting a severe case of malaria.

He taught Greek language and literature in the University of Marburg, Germany. He was elected a Professor of History of Religions in the Athens University.

Once his health was restored, he returned to East Africa and continued his work there as Metropolitan Bishop of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Ten years later he was appointed Archbishop of Albania, where he completely restored and revived the church. He actively initiated and supported multiple projects in education, public health, social services, agriculture, culture and arts, and ecology. He funded and supported the construction of schools, roads, bridges, hydroelectric dams and more.

In 2000 he was a nominee for the Nobel Prize for Peace.

He died today aged 95 after a severe case of flu that was exacerbated by his old age.

He is widely acknowledged for his work, even by non-Christians.

[hicginewsagency]

Honoring the Life and Legacy of the Late Archbishop Anastasios of Albania

By Anastasios Gordon Sekandi – updated at 23:43 Wednesday 29 January 2025 Archbishop Anastasios, a pivotal figure in global Orthodoxy, passed away at the age of 95. Since 1992, he led the Albanian Orthodox Church, playing a crucial role in its revival after decades of suppression under communist rule. Find Jesus at the door of your heart and you will discover paradise. St. John Chrysostom His…

[beardedmrbean]

Athens, Greece —  The head of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who was airlifted to a hospital in Athens due to complications from a virus, is in a critical condition, the Evangelismos hospital said Sunday.

Archbishop Anastasios, 95, was taken to the Greek capital Friday evening, four days after being admitted to hospital in Tirana with what Church officials called a "seasonal virus."

"His Beatitude's condition is assessed as critical by the attending physicians," the medical report from the hospital stated.

On Saturday, his condition was assessed as "stable despite his already complicated medical history."

Anastasios is credited with having revived the Orthodox Church in Muslim-majority Albania. He led the Church there for three decades.

He was airlifted to Athens on a C-27 Greek air force plane following a request from Greek emergency services, the defense ministry said.

Greek public television ERT reported that he was also suffering from gastric bleeding.

In November 2020, he was hospitalized in Athens for 12 days with COVID-19.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited Sunday afternoon the hospital where Archbishop Anastasios of Albania is being treated and was informed for the ailing archbishop's health condition.

[orthodoxadventure]

The Liturgy must be continued in the personal situations of everyday life. Each of us is called upon to continue a personal Liturgy on the secret altar of his or her own heart, to become a living proclamation of the Good News for the sake of the world. Without this continuation, the Liturgy remains unfinished. In the Eucharist, because we are incorporated into Him who came to serve the world and be sacrificed for it, we have to express concretely, in community life, our new being in Christ, the Servant of all. The sacrifice of the Eucharist must be extended in personal sacrifices for those people who are in need, our brothers and sisters for whom Christ also died.

Archbishop Anastasios (Yiannoulatos) of Albania

[izumijoji49]

A FAITH THAT PROPOSES PEACE BETWEEN RELIGIONS SO THAT THE WORLD MAY BE BLESSED WITH PEACE

“If religions do not make peace, the world will not make peace”! This phrase was said by the Christian Orthodox Archbishop of Albania Anastasios Yiannoulatos, who passed away a few days ago. Archbishop Anastasios was an internationally renowned Religious Scholar who had studied other religions without prejudice. In fact, he had come into contact with ancient indigenous beliefs in Africa. Therefore, his wish and exhortation have great value.

If we consider, from very ancient times, both in Europe and in the Middle East, how much blood has been shed of innocent people, because they had a different religious faith from their perpetrators, reaching our time, then the genocide of Muslims in Srebrenica, Bosnia, by Serbian Orthodox Christians weighs on the consciences of all people of good will.

In the Middle East, Palestinian organizations, projecting an aggressive Islam, attack Jewish citizens of Israel, demonstrating their desire to “throw” the Jews into the sea. At the same time, however, fanatical Jews, who interpret their Bible (Tanakh) with shortsighted eyes and a heart steeped in hatred, occupy Palestinian lands in the West Bank, attack innocent civilians because they are Muslims, destroy olive trees and invoke the name of their “god”!

In Japan, in 1859, within the confines of traditional Shinto worship, a farmer, Kawate Bunjirō, appeared, who discovered the living Kami (in the Shinto tradition, Kami are spirits or “sacred powers”, to whom honor and worship are offered). Kawate Bunjirō called the Kami that was revealed to him Tenchi Kane no Kami and he himself was called Konko Daijin from then on. (The name Tenchi Kane no Kami means, “the Golden Kami of Heaven and Earth”. In fact, in Japanese, the phrase “of Heaven and Earth” also refers to the concept of the Universe.)

What was revealed to Konko Daijin he did not keep to himself, but without any intention of proselytizing, he began to share it with the people of his village. Thus was born a “sect” within the Shinto religion, called Konkokyo (Teachings of the Golden Light) or Konko Faith.

In the spiritual life of Japan, there is a strong element of syncretism. Shinto shrines alternate with Buddhist temples, without competition between them. The Konko Faith has fully adopted this blessed coexistence of spiritual traditions and the interaction between them, which religious scholars call syncretism. On the occasion of the words of the Christian theologian Archbishop of Albania Anastasios Yiannoulatos, about peace in the world, I came to refer to the Konkokyo religion. Because the Konko Faith, in a miraculous way, in practice, implements the peace of religions!

According to the legacy of Konko Daijin, the Prophet, let us call him that, who revealed the message of Tenchi Kane no Kami to people, God is the common Parent of all people without the slightest distinction, regardless of race and religious identity. The Konko Faith denies the practice of “aggressive” missionary work, as we know it from various Christian churches or Islam. It does not seek to add “believers” to the communities, which for practical reasons, it calls “churches”. At the same time, anyone who wants to can become a member of the Konko Faith, without having to participate in any ceremony or entry process, simply becoming a member of a local Konkokyo church.

Believers are not obliged to offer financial support.

Members of a Konkokyo community participate in worship gatherings, which have many elements in common with Shinto worship, but they can maintain their reverence for any deity they wish!

Precisely because Kami-sama, as Tenchi Kane no Kami is also called, is the common Parent of all people, of all faiths, Konkokyo is open to any kind of cooperation with any religious community! From the official statement of the Konko Faith: “Konkokyo seeks to help solve people’s problems and address human suffering and to pave the way for peace and happiness. These problems can range from physical illness to war and environmental destruction. It is willing to cooperate with other religions and organizations to achieve these goals. Konkokyo has no desire to exert political or economic influence.”

In Konkōkyō theology, the relationship between Kami (God) and humanity is one of interdependence. Tenchi Kane no Kami has no gender, neither male nor female.

In terms that are understandable to people who are not Japanese, the Kami of the Konko Faith is the “Divine Parent of the Universe.” In the Konkōkyō worldview, everything is seen as being in deep interaction between them.

Kami-Sama does not reside in a distant or remote paradise, but is present in this world. The Universe is the body of Tenchi Kane no Kami.

An extremely interesting theology of Konkōkyo is the teaching that between Tenchi Kane No Kami and humans, there is a deep mutual interdependence (in Japanese it is called aiyo kakeyo). Humans cannot exist without Tenchi Kane No Kami, and Tenchi Kane No Kami cannot exist without humans! With air, water, food, and a host of other blessings of the Universe in the body of Tenchi Kane No Kami, humans can live and work.

Konkōkyō beliefs focus on improving human life in this world, showing appreciation for all things, living in a way that is ethical, with empathy, and acts of solidarity and prayer for others.

Any man or woman who embodies the above virtues in his life can become an ikigami, or felt Kami, a human being who helps others unconditionally and has inner peace. The ikigami in the Konko Faith, brings to mind the boddhisatva of Mahayana Buddhism. An ikigami is not a “supernatural” being, with mysterious, spiritual powers. He or she is the ideal human being, with flesh and blood, who shares everyday life without having abandoned the world in a monastery or a cave, but desires and tries to save his or her fellow human beings from suffering and problems and to make the world a happier place to live. It is believed that after death, the spirits or souls of those who have passed on to the afterlife remain in the universe, as mitama-no-kami (divine ancestral spirits), in a close communion with Tenchi Kane No Kami.

Bunjirō, the founder of the Konko Faith, has taught that anyone can receive the help of Tenchi Kane no Kami by “having faith in the Kami with a sincere mind” (in Japanese, the phrase is Jitsui Teinei Shinjin).

The photo is of Olivia Bernkastel, a Canadian living in Japan and is a priestess of the Konko Faith.

[europahoynews]

Falleció Anastasio, líder de la Iglesia ortodoxa albanesa: "Heraldo de la paz"

Comunicado de http://www.vaticannews.va — El arzobispo de Tirana, Durres y toda Albania falleció ayer a la edad de 95 años en un hospital de Atenas, donde estaba internado debido al empeoramiento de su estado de salud. Considerado más que un guía espiritual, revivió la Iglesia albanesa tras la caída del régimen comunista ateo. Fue presidente del Consejo Mundial de Iglesias de 2006 a 2013, que lo…

[roosterjournal]

Archbishop Anastasios, the Revitalizing Force Behind Albania's Orthodox Church, Passes Away at 95

TIRANA, Albania — The Orthodox Church of Albania has announced the passing of Archbishop Anastasios, a prominent figure who played a crucial role in the revitalization of the church following the fall of the communist regime in 1990. He was 95 years old. Archbishop Anastasios, who served as the head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania and was based in Tirana, died in Athens after…

[gouachevalier]

The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Katedralja Ngjallja e Krishtit) is an Albanian Orthodox church situated in the center of Tirana, Albania. It is the fourth largest Orthodox church in the Balkan Peninsula. It was officially opened on June 24, 2012, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the revival of the Albanian Orthodox Church and the election of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania.

(Credit: jarek11, Daniel, intoalbania)

[orthodoxadventure]

Father Anthony Coniaris writes that in the Book of Genesis (12:2) God blesses Abraham so that he, in turn, will be a blessing to the world. "We are blessed in order to bless others. We are forgiven in order to forgive. We are saved to help others find salvation. Christ came to serve in order to teach us to serve others. Christ confesses us before His father in heaven as His very own so that we will confess Him before the world. We are His people. He is in us and we are in Him. The Liturgy continues after we leave the Church. We return to the world as 'other Christs' and the Liturgy we experienced in Church continues when we make real His love through our acts of mercy in the world."

The Lord Jesus is very clear about our mission as believers: we are to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit those who are sick and welcome strangers, always recognizing that in our care for others we are caring for Him (Matthew 25:31-46). In, in fact, we are not doing these things we are explicitly told in the Scriptures that our faith "is dead" (James 2:17).

Connecting worship and serving the poor, St. John Chrysostom said: "Do you wish to honor the Body of Christ? Do not ignore Him when He is naked. Do not pay Him homage in the Liturgy, only then to neglect him outside where He is cold and ill-clad. He who said: "This is my body" is the same person who said: "You saw me hungry and you gave me no food," and "whatever you did to the least of my brothers you did also to me..." What good is it if the Eucharistic altar is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger outside. Satisfy the hunger of your brother and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well."

Archbishop Anastasios (Yiannoulatos) of Albania has written: "The Liturgy must be continued in the personal situations of everyday life. Each of us is called to continue a personal Liturgy on the secret altar of his or her own heart, to become a living proclamation of the Good News for the sake of the world. Without this continuation, the Liturgy remains unfinished. In the Eucharist, because we incorporated into Him who came to serve the world and be sacrificed for it, we have to express concretely, in community life, our new being in Christ, the Servant of all. The sacrifice of the Eucharist must be extended in personal sacrificies for those people who are in need, our brothers and sisters for whom Christ also died."

[Source of text: The Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints John Chrysostom (with Commentary and Notes)]

[orthodoxia-co]

Twenty-Five Years Since June 24, 1992 – The Day of the Canonical Revival of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania

Twenty-Five Years Since June 24, 1992 – The Day of the Canonical Revival of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania

[ad_1] The Albanian Orthodox Church – June – July 2017 Election of Archbishop Anastasios: A Remarkable Day of the Resurrection of Faith after the Atheistic Darkness Although formal freedom was already restored to the country, the beginning of the 1990s was a dramatic time period for the Community of the Orthodox faithful in Albania. There was no surviving bishop, and no potential candidate who…

[breakingnewslive-gr]

Επίτιμος δημότης Λάρισας τον Ιούνιο ο αρχιεπίσκοπος Αλβανίας Αναστάσιος

Με τον αρχιεπίσκοπο Τιράνων, Δυρραχίου και πάσης Αλβανίας Αναστάσιο συναντήθηκε το μεσημέρι, στην έδρα της Αρχιεπισκοπής στην αλβανική πρωτεύουσα, ο δήμαρχος Λαρισαίων Απόστολος Καλογιάννης και μέλη της διαπαραταξιακής επιτροπής του δημοτικού συμβουλίου. http://breakingnewslive.net/gr/news/epitimos-dhmoths-larisas-ton-ioynio-o-arxiepiskopos-albanias-anastasios?uid=187755&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=tumblr

[teenagealpacacherryblossom]

Appeals to Constantinople According to the 1663/4 Tomos of the Eastern Patriarchs

Patriarch Bartholomew’s recent letter to Archbishop Anastasios of Albania has generated considerable discussion, including on these pages: previously, we examined his reference to the Council of Carthage and his mischaracterization of the Meletian Schism. More significantly, on 28 March, Archbishop Anastasios responded to Patriarch Bartholomew with a remarkable letter, in which he directly…

[orthodoxia-co]

Twenty-five years Since the Election of His Beatitude Anastasios, as Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania

Twenty-five years Since the Election of His Beatitude Anastasios, as Archbishop of Tirana, Durres and All Albania

[ad_1] The Albanian Orthodox Church – July 2017 Panegyric Divine Liturgy Celebrated at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Tirana.  Today, on June 24, 2017, a Panegyric Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the election of His Beatitude Anastasios, as Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania by the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The members of the Holy Synod…