UOC Primate expresses condolences to Albanian Church on the death of Archbishop Anastasios

The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kyiv and All Ukraine, expressed his condolences to the Holy Synod of the Albanian Orthodox Church on the death of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios. This was reported by the Synodal Information and Education Department of the UOC.

Your Eminences and Graces,

dear hierarchs!

It is with great sorrow that I have received the news of the passing away of the Primate of the Most Holy Albanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania. On behalf of the episcopate, clergy, and all faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and on my own behalf, I extend condolences to you and the entire Albanian Orthodox Church.

It will not be an exaggeration to say that, given his fruitful life and tireless and diverse ministry, the newly-departed Most Blessed Anastasios became one of the most prominent hierarchs of the entire Orthodoxy in the period of church history we are living through.

The blessedly-reposed hierarch will be remembered by everyone as the archpastor who revived and gave a new breath to the Albanian Orthodox Church; as a remarkable missionary, who worked much in preaching the Gospel in African countries; as a deep theologian and teacher, who taught a lot of present clergymen and hierarchs not only from the Greek world but also from many other Orthodox countries.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church will always remember with gratitude his words of support, as well as his brave, uncompromising, and honest canonical position, which the newly-departed hierarch expressed in crisis moments of upheavals in church peace in Ukraine and, more broadly, in the entire Orthodox world.

I believe that, passing away into eternity, the newly-departed hierarch can say along with the Holy Apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day” (2 Tim. 4. 6-8).

May the Lord give rest to the soul of the newly-departed archpastor in His Heavenly Abodes, where all the just repose. Eternal memory to His Beatitude!

With fraternal love in the Lord,

Onufriy,

Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine,

Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church