What will the Albanian Church be like with the new Primate?
The late Albanian Archbishop Anastasios was a bishop who was respected and loved throughout the Orthodox world. Who is his successor?
On 16 March 2025, during the second week of Lent, the elections of a new Archbishop took place at the Synodal Centre of the Albanian Orthodox Church in Tirana.
As a result of the vote, the former Metropolitan of Korça, Ioannis (Pelushi), was elected as the new Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church. Our website has paid significant attention to this event. The reason for this attention is that we, the Orthodox believers of Ukraine, are concerned about what position the head of the Albanian Church will take on the so-called OCU issue. So, let us take a closer look at the personality of Metropolitan Ioannis of Korça and try to understand the course he will choose for the Albanian Church in the near future.
The historical context of the election
Before we attempt to answer the question of what course Archbishop Ioannis will take, let us recall the historical context in which he will carry out his ministry. We will also say a few words about the significance of the late Archbishop Anastasios – both for the Church and for the Albanian people in general.
Albania is a predominantly Muslim country. However, during the funeral of the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, the Albanian Parliament, out of respect for the personality of the deceased, postponed its sessions, and representatives of the country's top leadership attended the burial ceremony. It is worth noting that Archbishop Anastasios was of ethnic Greek origin. However, Albanian media often referred to him by saying that he "did not bring Greece to Albania but brought Albania to Greece". What does this mean?
The fact is that Albanians and Greeks, who have lived side by side for centuries, interpret some historical events differently, leading to certain disagreements and tensions between them. It should be noted that for Greeks, Orthodoxy has always been an essential part of national identity. You are not Greek if you are not Orthodox – such statements are common in Greece. On the other hand, for Albanians, religion, while playing a significant role, was viewed somewhat differently. After all, in the country, both Muslims and Christians live together. Most importantly, the Orthodox community in Albania has almost always sought to form its own ecclesiastical identity and independence from external influence. Such processes are very displeasing to the Greeks, who view the autocephaly of the Albanian Church as somewhat unjustified, given that Albania was under the influence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for a long time.
However, the "church issue" remains very sensitive within the country. On the one hand, there is a Greek minority living in the southern regions of Albania, which traditionally belongs to the Greek Orthodox community and maintains close ties with Greece (many Albanians speak Greek, although they were born in Albania). On the other hand, the state and political figures continuously emphasize the need to preserve the complete independence of the Albanian Church, which, in their view, is an integral part of the national self-consciousness. In this context, any ties with the Patriarchate of Constantinople are often perceived as an attempt to exert influence on the internal affairs of the Albanian Church. This provokes a sharp reaction from the government and creates problems for the clergy and the faithful.
At the same time, a significant portion of Albanians highly appreciate elements of Greek culture – music, literature, and art. Greek heritage is seen as part of the common cultural heritage of the Balkans.
Moreover, many people in Albania believe that close ties with the Greek Churches (of Greece and Constantinople) pose no harm and can only strengthen spiritual life. But there is also an opposing viewpoint, which holds that such ties, especially the integration of Greek traditions, language and culture, could undermine the independence of the Albanian Orthodox Church and negatively affect national identity.
This situation led to the fact that the Albanian hierarchs managed to find a sensible balance, where, on the one hand, there is respect for Greek culture and spirituality, and, on the other hand, – a desire to preserve autocephaly and their uniqueness. And this balance is the legacy of the late Archbishop Anastasios. He managed to shape the church life in such a way that while maintaining very close ties with the Greek Churches (it is enough to say that he never hid his friendship with Patriarch Bartholomew and did not conceal his Greek origin), the Albanian Church retained freedom from external influence. The late Primate consistently defended the need for an equal dialogue, where each side respects the sovereignty of the other and does not attempt to impose its own vision of the situation.
This state of affairs was particularly vividly reflected “in the Ukrainian question”, i.e. the OCU issue.
We should note that Archbishop Anastasios became one of the most uncompromising and consistent critics of the OCU creation in the Orthodox world. He demanded the convening of an Orthodox Council on this issue and repeatedly expressed support for the persecuted UOC.
Furthermore, the Synod of the Albanian Church raised the most well-founded objections regarding the possibility of recognising the canonical validity of the ordinations and legalising the Ukrainian schismatics, and also repeatedly expressed support for the UOC. Neither Archbishop Anastasios' friendship with Patriarch Bartholomew, nor his respectful attitude towards the Greek Churches that recognised the OCU, nor the Greek origin of Archbishop Anastasios himself, influenced this position. All the more, these factors should not affect the stance of Metropolitan Ioannis of Korça.
Biography
The newly elected Archbishop Ioannis, formerly Metropolitan of Korça, was born on 2 January 1956 in Tirana. From his early youth, during a period of severe religious persecution, he was secretly baptised by a priest – one of the first to join the underground Church in the face of total atheism and state persecution. From 1979 to 1990, Ioannis worked in a psychiatric hospital in Tirana, and in 1990, he decided to go to the United States to pursue theological education. The hierarch graduated with honours from the Holy Cross School in Boston, receiving a Master's degree in Theological Studies in 1993. Already in 1992, driven by a desire to contribute to the restoration of the shattered church life in Albania, he established contact with Archbishop Anastasios and decided to return to his home country. In September of the same year, Ioannis returned to Albania, where he began teaching at the Theological Academy of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.
On 27 February 1994, he was ordained deacon, and on 4 December of the same year, he was ordained priest. In 1995, Ioannis went back to the US for further studies, and in 1996 he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. For outstanding achievements during the 1995-1996 academic year, he was included in The National Dean’s List, which includes the best students from universities across the United States. Upon returning to Albania, he became the Dean of the Theological Academy, where he worked until 1998, after which he was elected Metropolitan of Korça.
Since 1998, Ioannis continued his service as Metropolitan, combining pastoral work with teaching, translation activities, and scholarly research. He prepared the text of the "Dogmatics", the first theological publication in the Albanian Language, translated numerous works of the Church Fathers, and played an important role in the formation of a unified philosophical and religious terminology in Albanian theological literature. In addition to his native Albanian, he is fluent in English, French, Italian, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.
In 2000, he founded the periodical “Tempulli”, which quickly became one of the leading scholarly and cultural journals in the country. The journal features the works of renowned intellectuals, researchers, and Albanologists, both from Albania and abroad. Archbishop Ioannis is not only the editor-in-chief of this edition but also actively participates in the creation of scientific articles on culture, history, archaeology, philosophy and theology.
During his years of ministry, he represented the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania at international conferences, including those of the World Council of Churches and in dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church.
Will the new Primate continue the work of Archbishop Anastasios?
It is believed that Metropolitan Ioannis was not only a disciple of the late Archbishop Anastasios but also his loyal assistant for many years. It is quite possible that even the texts of the Albanian Church, prepared and published during the lifetime of Archbishop Anastasios, were created not without Ioannis’s help. We have reason to believe that not only the Synodals, who almost five years ago signed a statement questioning the actions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine, but also the new Primate of the Albanian Church, have not changed their views.
Moreover, in his first speech delivered from the pulpit of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Tirana, the Archbishop promised to "uphold the sacred canons and Holy Tradition, to strive with all my strength to protect the rights of the Church".
And this is what we expect from the Primate, not only from us but also from those whose pastor he has become. As the Albanian priest Ilia Mazniku rightly said, "The new Archbishop of Albania has many responsibilities, but the most important one, which we all expect, is to follow the same path as Archbishop Anastasios."
