Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the Orthodox Church in Albania, dies at 95

TIRANA, Albania — Albania's Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country's Orthodox Church after the fall of the communist regime in 1990, has died, the church said on Saturday. He was 95.

Anastasios, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania and head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, died in the intensive care unit of Evangelismos hospital in Athens due to ''polyorgan deficiency,'' the church said. He had been hospitalized in Tirana on Dec. 30 with a viral infection but was transferred to Athens a few days later after his condition deteriorated. He had undertaken surgery on Jan. 10 to deal with gastrointestinal bleeding and his situation had been critical since, the hospital said.

''His Grace, Archbishop Anastasios, was the rebuilder and revitalizer of the Albanian Orthodox Church, which was literally raised from the ruins after the fall of the atheist regime,'' the church said in a statement. ''He rebuilt church life from the ground up, built hundreds of churches, established educational and charitable institutions, and formed a new generation of clergy, providing unending and sacrificial service for more than 33 years.''

Albanian President Bajram Begaj said that Albania had lost its ''spiritual leader and a distinguished personality."

''His Grace's legacy will remain alive in the hearts of those honoring and loving him,'' Begaj said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that Anastasios' ''contribution to Orthodox Christianity was invaluable.''

''He left an indelible mark, and not just in (Albania),'' Mitsotakis posted on social media.

Born Anastasios Yannoulatos in Greece in 1929, he arrived in Albania in 1991, immediately after the fall of the communist regime that had ruled the country since the mid-1940s, to resuscitate the country's Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

The Communist government had banned all religious practices and expropriated the property of the established Islamic, Orthodox, Catholic and other religions.

According to the 2023 census, Orthodox believers in Albania make up about 7% of the 2.4 million population, although the church says the actual number is higher. The tiny Western Balkan country is about half Muslim, followed by the Catholics, Orthodox and other religious communities and nonbelievers, who all live in harmony.

Following the fall of the communist regime in December 1990, religion was again allowed, but believers lacked places of worship such as mosques and churches, many of which were confiscated by the former regime. The property return is not yet complete, with religious communities continuing to claim areas and buildings.

Anastasios was instrumental in revitalizing the Orthodox Church in Albania and was elected to its head in 1992. He was also significantly focused on interfaith dialogue and promoting church assistance to health care, education and social development in the country.

More than 400 parishes were reorganized in post-communist Albania. Some 150 new churches were constructed, while 60 churches, monasteries and cultural monuments were restored and 160 churches and 70 ecclesiastical buildings reconstructed.

The archbishop educated and ordained 168 clergy and also established youth centers in various cities. He also oversaw the translation into Albanian as well as the publication of liturgical and other religious books.

The church also constructed three hydropower projects, and the revenues from those contribute to its spiritual, philanthropic and educational efforts.

Anastasios was born Nov. 4, 1929, in Piraeus, Greece. He received his Bachelor of Divinity and Doctor of Theology from the University of Athens and also studied at the universities of Hamburg and Marburg in Germany.

He was lauded for his academic work, having served as a professor and dean at the University of Athens, and for his leadership roles in international religious organizations, including the World Council of Churches.

He authored and published 24 books of religious research, missionary essays, Orthodox spirituality and more than 200 studies and articles of theological and religious themes that were translated into 17 languages.

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Follow Llazar Semini at https://x.com/lsemini

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Demetris Nellas contributed to this report from Athens Greece.