Pope Francis offers condolences after death of Albanian Orthodox Archbishop Anastasios

Pope Francis sent his condolences to the Orthodox Church in Albania on Monday following the recent death of Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos, who led that church for nearly 33 years.

Praising Anastasios for his “profound dedication to the Gospel,” the Holy Father expressed his fraternal esteem for the 95-year-old prelate who helped revive Christianity in the former communist country and who died on Jan. 25.

“The faith of the Orthodox community of Albania was certainly embodied in the life of our dear brother, whose zealous pastoral service helped the people rediscover its richness and beauty following the years of state-imposed atheism and persecution,” the pope said in his Jan. 27 message.

Anastasios, who died on the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, was widely respected by Francis and other religious leaders for his decades-long ministry dedicated to peace and ecumenical dialogue with other churches and religions in Greece, Africa, and Albania.

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