Albanian Orthodox Church leader in ‘critical condition,’ hospitalized in Greece
The 95-year-old head of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who is known for his involvement in the ecumenical movement, has been hospitalized in Greece and is reportedly in critical condition.
Archbishop Anastasios was airlifted to an Athens hospital last Friday after contracting what Orthodox officials labeled a "seasonal virus," reported Agence France-Presse on Sunday.
"His Beatitude's condition is assessed as critical by the attending physicians," stated a medical report from Evangelismos Hospital in Athens, as quoted by AFP, which cited Greek public television ERT as reporting the archbishop experienced gastric bleeding.
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Since being hospitalized in Athens, Archbishop Anastasios has received multiple prominent guests, including Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and all Greece; Kyriakos Pierrakakis, Greece's minister of education and religious affairs; and Sokratis Famellos, leader of the Greek left-wing political party Syriza.
"The purpose of our visit was to receive updates on the Archbishop's health, express our love, and share our hope for his recovery. We also wanted to extend our support to the medical and healthcare staff," stated Famellos, as quoted by The Orthodox Times.
Anastasios was initially hospitalized in Tirana, Albania, for his viral illness on Dec. 30 before being transferred to Evangelismos. He was previously hospitalized in November 2020 for nearly two weeks with COVID-19.
Anastasios has been the leader of the Albanian Orthodox Church for over three decades and is credited with helping to revive the denomination within the Muslim-majority Eastern European nation.
The archbishop has also been involved in ecumenical efforts, going at least as far back as the World Conference on Mission and Evangelism held in Mexico City, Mexico in 1961.
In August 2022, World Council of Churches Acting General Secretary Ioan Sauca sent the archbishop a letter congratulating him on marking 30 years as head of the Albanian Church.
"We join our Orthodox sisters and brothers in Albania and all around the word, and we give thanks for You, Beatitude, as you celebrate this year thirty years of both struggle and joy, despair and hope, tribulations and great achievements in leading the Church of Christ in Albania," wrote Sauca.
"We give thanks to God, Beatitude, for all your efforts during three decades to bring the Orthodox Church of Albania from darkness to the light of Christ; from death to resurrection in Christ; from total destruction to an exemplary growth in Christ."
