Albanian Church prays for ailing Archbishop on his name day (+VIDEO)

Albania, January 23, 2025

Photo: orthodoxianewsagency.gr     

The Orthodox Church of Albania united in prayer for its hospitalized primate His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania yesterday, as it celebrated the feast of his patron, St. Anastasios the Persian.

The Archbishop has been hospitalized, first in Tirana, then in Athens, since Archbishop Anastasios of Albania hospitalized with fluHis Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Albania was admitted preventively to the Hygeia Hospital of Tirana for monitoring, after showing symptoms of seasonal flu.

“>December 30. He is in critical condition, and doctors have been trying unsuccessfully to bring him out of a coma.

“During this difficult period of trial for our spiritual father, all Orthodox Christians of Albania, his children, continue to pray to God to restore Archbishop Anastasios’ health and give him strength,” the Church of Albania stated, reports the Orthodoxia News Agency.

The statement also expressed “deepest gratitude” for his 33 years of “dedication, service, and love for the Church.”

The Archdiocese of Tirana called the faithful to gather at the Church of the Annunciation of the Theotokos in Tirana for a special Synodal Divine Liturgy marking the Archbishop’s name’s day. In Berat, Orthodox Christians attended an All-Night Vigil at the Metropolitan Church of St. Demetrios, praying for their primate’s swift return to health and his work in Albania.

Watch the services from Tirana:

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The LOGOS University community, where Abp. Anastasios served as founder and visionary, also joined in prayers for his recovery, noting that he had worked “with great patience and above all love” to establish the institution.

Since the Archbishop’s initial hospitalization in Tirana and subsequent transfer to Athens, Orthodox Albanians have launched a sustained prayer campaign, with daily vigils, paraklesis services, and Divine Liturgies being held for the recovery of the hierarch who rebuilt their Church from the ruins of persecution under the atheistic Hoxha regime.

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