In his message, the Archbishop explains the true meaning of Christmas, stressing that “Christmas, a leading Christian holiday, is not just an occasion for exchanging wishes and gifts, family warmth, entertainment, which offers spiritual euphoria in social life. It is above all an inexhaustible source of multidimensional hope – for the value of every human person, for the course of humanity, for the meaning of life” and goes on to say “By His incarnation the Son and Word of God took upon Himself the whole of human nature, in its spiritual and material substance, and regenerated it. This is an Event that is the center of Christian revelation; “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16). This revelation of God’s love “in the flesh” constitutes the uniqueness of the Christian faith.”

At another point, Archbishop Anastasios says “The patience of hope that is radiated at Christmas does not constitute weakness, on the contrary, it indicates a mystical strength. It transforms even the greatest sorrows and weaknesses of the present life by strengthening endurance, fighting spirit, quality resistance, support for truth and justice.”

Finally, referring to the harsh wars in Ukraine and Palestine, the Archbishop stresses that “Every era has its turmoil, wars, disasters, tragedies, poverty, heartbreak, despair. And ours is also shaken by prolonged unimaginably cruel wars in many corners of the earth, especially in Ukraine and Palestine. Contradictions and rifts even plague church contexts.

Every person has their multifaceted problems. In every community, every person experiences hours of melancholy and pain. For all, the indispensable guide remains the patience of hope. Let us intensify our supplication for a cessation of the deadly conflicts and the various social crises, so that peace may prevail on earth.”

Read below the message of the Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania

CHRISTMAS 2023
Patience of hope

†Anastasios
Archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania

“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…” (Heb 12:1)

Christ is born, glorify Him!

Christmas, a leading Christian holiday, is not just an occasion for exchanging wishes and gifts, for family warmth, for entertainment, or for entertainment that brings spiritual euphoria to social life. It is above all an inexhaustible source of multidimensional hope – for the value of every human person, for the course of humanity, for the meaning of life. The Nativity of Christ solemnly proclaims that “For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting” (Jn 3:16). We are not, therefore, alone in the adventure of this life.

By His incarnation, the Son and Word of God took upon Himself the whole of human nature, in its spiritual and material substance, and regenerated it. This is an Event that is the center of Christian revelation; “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Timothy 3:16). This revelation of God’s love “in the flesh” constitutes the uniqueness of the Christian faith. Let us emphasize “again and again”: God, the Creator and Lord of the universe is not an impersonal energy, wisdom, or power. He is a personal God, who reveals Himself to man, who is in a constant relationship with Him. A relationship that is felt by the whole human being; “God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” (1 John 4:16). This God has not abandoned the world, which is killed by selfishness, hatred, injustice, despair. The feast of Christmas invites us to reflect that the hope of His presence in our lives is the source of patience.

The various adversities and dead ends that occur in the earthly course of the Redeemer are always met with patience and hope. Already at His Birth, as depicted in Orthodox iconography, a serene patience full of radiance is reflected in the gaze of the Virgin Mother, Joseph, as well as the shepherds and the magi. Even in the gaze of the animals in the humble cave, who participated in the adventure of little Jesus’ foreign journey, a calm patience is revealed.

The patience of hope that is radiated at Christmas does not constitute weakness but rather indicates a mystical strength. It transforms even the greatest sorrows and weaknesses of the present life by strengthening endurance, fighting spirit, quality resistance, and support for truth and justice. From his personal experience, the Apostle Paul affirms: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Rom. 5:3-5). Through patience, the spiritual man makes better use of his mental and emotional powers. Patience united with calm perseverance opens passages in many impasses of human relationships, in health crises, in poverty, and in social turmoil. It leads human life to maturity “Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4).

Hope sustains patience and patience strengthens hope, both drawing strength from faith. The Bible’s references to patience are multifaceted and insightful. They help us to “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Rom 12:12). Reflecting on the example of our Lord and the saints who followed him: “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Heb. 12:1-2). With our eyes fixed on Him, we face soberly and vigorously all the trials that stand before us.

Every era has its turmoil, wars, disasters, tragedies, poverty, heartbreak, and despair. And ours is also shaken by prolonged unimaginably cruel wars in many corners of the earth, especially in Ukraine and Palestine. Contradictions and rifts even plague church contexts. Every person has their multifaceted problems. In every community, every person experiences hours of melancholy and pain. For all, the indispensable guide remains the patience of hope.

Let us intensify our plea for a cessation of the deadly conflicts and the various social crises, so that peace may prevail on earth. Let us strive “through the patience and prayer of the Scriptures” to strengthen our mutual understanding and harmonious cooperation, increasing hope within us. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13).

Christ is born, glorify Him! May the patience of hope, by the grace of the Triune God, fill our hearts with all-glorious joy and peace, especially during these Holy Days and throughout the coming New Year 2024.

Translated by Ioanna Georgakopoulou

“The archaic law of retribution ‘eye for an eye’ or ‘tit-for-tat’ not only defines the right but also the limits of retaliation: It is ‘Eye for an eye’ means ‘eye for and eye’ and not ‘beheading’,” the Church of Albania stressed.

“An immediate cease-fire and the start of a serious dialogue remains our constant appeal and prayer,” they wished.

“The response is to take initiative, not just to do things on our own,” he said at the beginning of his homily.

“So we all have to take such initiatives. We should do so in the family environment afterwards, the working environment. We should not only care about serious issues that the state faces but we also voice our opinions,” he added

Read the full homily:

The letter of the Apostle Paul to his disciple Titus ends with this exhortation: “Let people who do good deeds to learn to meet necessary needs so that their deeds are fruitful.”

Nowadays there are too many needs. However, we tend to talk over and over about them, to be depressed, to complain, while the right response is to take initiative, not just to do things on our own.

This goes for everyone, not just for those who hold very important positions. We all hold important positions in our daily lives. Our presence in the family is a very important position. This is the case for all of us; Not only the parents but also the children. So we all have to take such initiatives. We should do so in the family environment, in the working environment. We should not only care about serious issues that the state faces but we should also voice our opinions. “We have to take such initiatives to have a fruitful life,” the apostle says. Expressing a few ideas is not enough. We should also be doing good deeds.

Let us plan our future and make some efforts to bring God’s love and hope to our fellow human beings. There is too much pain in society. People need more affection, more kindness. This is our resistance to a decaying society.

“Those who want to obey the word of God, to live with forgiveness, with understanding, not always, but there are many times when they will be treated with hostility by some others,” he said in his sermon.

However, he stresses that “there are always ‘wicked men, charlatans, and deceivers’ who will want to belittle them, to curse them, to throw mud at them.”

He goes on to say that this should not come as much of a surprise because “Christians are realists” and therefore “we are not ignorant of reality, but these things do not change us, nor do they change our efforts to live ‘godly in Christ'”.

Thus, he exhorts the congregation: “Let us always maintain our peace, courage, and endurance to continue to live as He wants us to regardless of the presence of many other people who we know would want to undermine our course.”

Finally, he concludes by stressing: “Christ’s truth is above all, and He gives us the strength and endurance to testify to that truth as calmly, and as clearly as we can.”

Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania presided over the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, along with Metropolitan Nathaniel of Amantia and Bishop Astios of Vyllida, as well as clergy of the Archdiocese.

The Archbishop said: “Many people maintained very different attitudes towards the mystery of the Cross. Some saw this as a scandal, how could God let His Son suffer on the Cross? There were others who saw this as foolish. What happened in the 1st century AD also happened in the last century (20th century). Atheist propaganda again deemed (the mystery of) the Cross in one way or another – it was deemed as a scandal by many people and as stupidity by several others.

But as our Apostle stressed, for us the Holy Cross is the main mystery of our Church, as it is the constant symbol of the path we tread upon in life, the power and the wisdom of God. What seemed to be the greatest weakness it actually becomes the greatest strength. By the grace of God, those of us who are close to Him have experienced in many cases this amazing power that the Holy Cross bears during tough times and in our daily lives.

The wisdom of the Cross represents the humility that reached its peak (when He was) on the Cross. And this wisdom determines and illuminates the path that each of us has to follow.

My brothers and sisters, while today we celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, let us exalt even more the symbol of the Holy Cross in our hearts, emotions and spirit and let us feel that our Lord, through the Holy Cross, is the wisdom and the power that we have inside.”

The Church of Albania with a new statement clarifies – again – that “it is not under the influence of the Russian or any other Church and does not accept any kind of external guardianship. Nor does it certainly tolerate suggestions and lessons from unqualified controllers of members of other local Autocephalous Churches”.

The “confrontation” between Archon Damianakis and the Church of Albania began when a month ago I. Damianakis published an article in which he claimed that “while the pursuits of international oligarchs with vested interests have contributed to the reconstruction or restoration of 250 churches, their goal is focused more towards pursuits than towards adherence to canonical principles”.

The Church of Albania stressed that “as stated by the rest of the context of the text, the term “International Oligarchs” implies Russian origin.

In today’s statement, the Church of Albania notes that “this gentleman did not admit that he spread fake news to support the malicious fiction that the Church of Albania is under Russian influence and he did not apologize.

Instead, in a new post he tries to convince that the reaction of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania is allegedly due to a mistranslation of the term “international oligarchs”.

“Some think too highly of themselves”, says the Church of Albania in its statement, “and have become inspectors, prosecutors, and judges of the local Orthodox Churches.

The way they target those who have a different position on the serious ecclesiastical issue of Ukraine is not in line with Orthodox ethics nor with the basic ethics of any dialogue. This new ecclesiastical tactic is in immediate need of stopping.

The Orthodox Church of Albania is not under the influence of the Russian or any other Church and does not accept any kind of external guardianship. Nor does it certainly tolerate suggestions and lessons from unqualified controllers and members of other local Autocephalous Churches. It is sufficient to be inspired by the Gospel and to act in accordance with the Orthodox Tradition,” the statement concludes.

The announcement touches upon an article published in English by the Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Ilias Damianakis.

Mr. Damianakis in his article argues the following: “While the efforts of international oligarchs with vested interests have contributed to the rebuilding or restoration of over 250 churches (in Albania), their focus seems to lean more towards these endeavors rather than strictly adhering to Orthodox canonical principles”.

The Church of Albania points out that, as the context indicated, the term “international oligarchs” implies the Russians. “This is a malicious and flagrant lie,” it emphasizes.

Finally, the Church of Albania stresses that accusations of this kind are a complete distortion of the truth with the aim of supporting the falsehood that the Church of Albania “finds itself within the funnel of Russian propaganda”.

It is recalled that the Church of Albania is among the Churches that have not recognized the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine that the Ecumenical Patriarchate granted.

It also keeps demanding that the Pan-Orthodox Council be convened, being aligned with the stance taken by the Church of Russia. At the same time, on every occasion, it expresses its opposition to the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s decision (on granting autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine).

Read the full announcement of the Church of Albania:

Falsehoods are periodically presented to support the fictious mendacity that the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania is “under the influence of the Russian Orthodox Church”. An article of this vein was recently published online in English and titled “Στῶμεν καλῶς, στῶμεν μετά φόβου”. The author of this article is Ilias Damianakis, a resident of the U.S.A. and an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate as he himself notes. Within this article which refers to the interests of Russians to expend their influence within the Orthodox Church, he states “While the efforts of international oligarchs with vested interests have contributed to the rebuilding or restoration of over 250 churches (in Albania), their focus seems to lean more towards these endeavors rather than strictly adhering to Orthodox canonical principles”. As the context indicates the term “international oligarchs” implies Russians.

This is a malicious and flagrant lie.

The Orthodox Church of Albania, in her official reports, has published the facts: “during her reconstruction from the ruins, over 160 churches (large and small) have been built, 68 churches and monasteries that are designated as cultural monuments have been renovated and restored, and over 170 preexisting churches have been restored”. None of these buildings are connected to “international oligarchs” of Russian origin. Accusations of this kind are simply a fabrication to support the falsehood that the Church of Albania “finds itself within the funnel of Russian propaganda”.

The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania takes its decisions, always, with a constant concern for the unity of Orthodoxy and its convincing witness in the modern world.

According to the announcement of the Holy Synod, this is an unprecedented reward having in mind the unsuitability of this clergyman to shepherd an Orthodox flock.

In fact, it comments that during his ordination yesterday by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America at the Phanar, “he recited the Credo by adding the ‘filioque’.”

The Church of Albania is not the first time that has publicly shown its dissatisfaction with the clergyman in question.

At the beginning of the month, it had expressed “surprise and wonder” about his election as Bishop of Philomelion by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

It referred to himself as a “vanguard of divisive actions” who never apologized for them.

You may read the announcement of the Holy Synod of the Church of Albania below:

Unprecedented reward for someone who undermines the unity of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania.

Unprecedented confirmation of his unsuitability to shepherd an Orthodox flock.

Theofan Koja, at the critical moment of his ordination as Bishop, presided over by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America in Phanar on July 25, 2023, recited the Credo by adding the ‘filioque’.

As stated in a relevant communiqué, Archimandrite Theophanis caused divisive problems during the reconstruction of the Church of Albania, without ever apologizing for them.

Read below the communiqué of the Church of Albania

“Archimandrite Theophanis (Arjan) Koja, known to the Orthodox of Albania as the vanguard of divisive actions, was born in Tirana in 1966. He briefly attended the Seminary in Durrës and then went to Romania, where he was ordained a deacon and presbyter.

On October 8 1995, after having returned to the country, during the Divine Liturgy, the head of a group of ultranationalists, expelled the servers of the Albanian Orthodox Autocephalous Church from the Church of the Panagia in Kastro in the old city of Elbasan.

There he put Nicholas Markou, who was allegedly “ordained” by a schismatic Bishop of the Church of Skopje, under the name “Independent National Albanian Orthodox Church of Saint Maria Elbasan” (Kisha Ortodokse e pavarur Kombetare shqiptare Shen Maria Elbasan). (For this painful divisive action, see the newspaper Ngjallja – November 1995).

Since then, his accomplice Nicholas Markou has not ceased to publicly call the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania as Greek. Using purely nationalist and political speech, he continues to occupy the historic Orthodox Church of Elbasan to this day. (See more than 15 relevant reports in the newspaper Ngjallja eg. November 2015, February 2016, April 2016, November 2018).

After his failure, Archimandrite Theophanis settled in the USA, where he joined the Romanian Church. He never apologized for his divisive actions in the first years of the reconstitution of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania.

Three years ago, he moved to Boston and sought to become a Bishop in succession to late Metropolitan Nikon Liolin. Nevertheless, the leadership of the O.C.A. avoided his election when they were informed of his subversive actions.

He recently sought to join the Greek Orthodox Church of America. Archbishop Elpidophoros of America promised him to be promoted to the rank of Bishop and, according to the official announcement, he was elected Bishop of Philomelion “as Hierarchical Head for the Albanian-speaking Orthodox Communities under the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the United States of America.”

However, there is surprise and wonder among the Orthodox of Albania about this unexpected development over the persistence of Archbishop Elpidophoros of America.

Therefore, it is necessary and we would like to kindly remind the divisive problems caused by Archimandrite Theophanis during the reconstruction from the ruins of the martyred Church of Albania.”

In a new statement on the Internet, the Church of Albania clarifies that “it will not be seduced into the method of recriminations, appeals, insults, inaccuracies, and reproaches, as attempted by unqualified laymen on websites.”

The Church stressed that the ecclesiastical problems that have arisen lately “are not solved by the method of chain reprisals from certain Churches and by collecting consents from the rest through the media.”

She also underlined that the opinion of the Church of Albania will be submitted to the competent body “the Pan-Orthodox Council or Synaxis, which, according to the principle of synodality, is the only one able to solve basic problems and ensure the unity and peace of the Orthodox Church around the world”.

Read below the announcement of the Church of Albania

In a new statement on the Internet, the Church of Albania clarifies that “it will not be seduced into the method of recriminations, appeals, insults, inaccuracies, and reproaches, as attempted by unqualified laymen on websites.”

The Orthodox Church of Albania, therefore, declares in all directions that it is not willing to speak on the Internet and in general in the media about its views and judgments regarding the attitude and behavior of other local Orthodox Churches and their Primates.

The painful ecclesiastical problems that have arisen in recent years and recently in Africa, resulting in clear cracks in the relations of the local Orthodox Churches and the widespread concern of Orthodox believers, are not solved by the method of chain retaliation by certain Churches and by collecting consents from the rest through the media.

The responsible opinion of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania is expressed in the official ecclesiastical correspondence, in the announcements of the Chief Secretariat and will be directly submitted to the competent body, the Pan-Orthodox Council or Synaxis, which, according to the principle of synodality, is the only one able to solve basic problems and ensure the unity and peace of the Orthodox Church around the world.

As the unprecedented calamity of Orthodoxy in Ukraine intensifies and the unspeakable suffering of Orthodox believers culminates, a pan-Orthodox confrontation is imperative as soon as possible.

The Pan-Orthodox Council, as is well known, is convened by the Ecumenical Patriarch, convenes and acts, even if some local Churches are absent, as was the case with the Holy and Great Council of the Orthodox Church in Crete in 2016.