Recently, the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Archbishop John, spoke out on the Ukrainian church issue. The first hierarch drew attention to the fact that the creation of the OCU split world Orthodoxy, noting that the Synod of the Albanian Church had expressed its position on this issue and it remains unchanged.
The Primate of the Albanian Church met with the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church
On August 11, 2025, a meeting took place in Tirana between the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Archbishop John of Tirana, Durres, and All Albania, and the head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk. The meeting was attended by the advisor to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, and the deputy head of the DECR, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk. Representing the Albanian Orthodox Church were Metropolitan Anthony of Elbasan, Metropolitan Nafanail of Amantia, and Bishop Anastasius of Kruja. This was reported by the Communications Service of the Department for External Church Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church.
It is reported that Metropolitan Anthony of Volokolamsk conveyed fraternal greetings from His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to His Beatitude Archbishop John and congratulated him on his election and enthronement as Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, which took place in March this year.
During the long conversation, which took place in a warm and cordial atmosphere, various issues of inter-Orthodox and international relations, the situation of the canonical Church in Ukraine, prospects for the development of cooperation between the Russian and Albanian Sister Churches, and other topics of mutual interest were discussed.
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