
Department for External Church Relations
The site uses cookies to help show you the most up-to-date information. By continuing to use the site, you consent to the use of your Metadata and cookies. Cookie policy
The funeral service and burial of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Albania took place.







DECR Communication service, 30.01.2025.
On January 30, 2025, the funeral service and burial of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania, who passed away on January 25, were held at the Resurrection Cathedral in Tirana.
The memorial Liturgy was conducted by the locum tenens of the Archbishopric Throne of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan John of Korça, along with hierarchs of the Church, Metropolitan Dimitrios of Argyrokastro and Metropolitan Nathanael of Amantia. In the Cathedral's Altar, prayers were offered by Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate; Father Alexander Ershov, Assistant to the DECR Chairman; and representatives of the Local Orthodox Churches who came to bid farewell to the late Primate.
Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk conveyed the condolences of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to Metropolitan John of Korça.
Following the Liturgy, the funeral service for His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios was held with the participation of numerous faithful.
The liturgical hymns in Albanian and Greek were performed by the choir of the Resurrection Cathedral.
At the conclusion of the funeral service, the coffin of the late Primate was transferred to the crypt of the Cathedral, where the burial took place.
The events related to the funeral and burial of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios were attended by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem, and Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria; Archbishop George of Cyprus and Archbishop Hieronymus of Athens; as well as delegations from the Antiochian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Polish Orthodox Churches, the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and the Macedonian Orthodox Church – Ohrid Archbishopric.
Present in the Cathedral were the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama; the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Albania, A.A. Zaitsev; representatives of the Roman Catholic and other non-Orthodox Churches, the World Council of Churches, religious communities of Albania, diplomats, and numerous public and cultural figures.
Patriarch
Department Chairman
Sermons
25.02.2025
16.02.2025
04.02.2025
30.01.2025
24.01.2021
06.11.2020