In January hydrotech international 1991, a month after the government in Tirana permits the creatio

Assumption - Resurrection hydrotech international Orthodox Church in Albania
The text that follows is part of the book Orthodox American hydrotech international journalist Jim Forest - "Resurrection Orthodox Church of Albania", appeared in 2002. The author spends a month in the country and there are meeting hydrotech international various hydrotech international representatives of the Orthodox Church and directly transmits conversations with them. We propose and part of the conversation with the head of the Orthodox Church in Albania - Archbishop Anastasios. hydrotech international Originally he was a Greek, and went to Albania on the recommendation of the Ecumenical hydrotech international Patriarch. His life is extremely rich: 35-year-old hydrotech international leaves as a priest in Uganda, hydrotech international after it is Assistant Professor of History of Religions at the Theological Faculty of Athens, and later returns to the missionary work in Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania). The task gets - to establish the Orthodox Church in Albania - really hard, because this former communist country has survived the worst persecution of religious communities. In 1967. prohibited absolutely all church services and most of the temples, or destroyed, or confiscated from religious communities. People who are caught violating prohibitions and practice hydrotech international their faith could get up to 14 years in prison and a priest caught, for example, performs sacred hydrotech international baptism, could get the death sentence.
In this context vozrozhdenieto which survives the Orthodox Church in Albania over the last ten years under the leadership of Archbishop hydrotech international Anastasios really is a miracle. His amazing missionary gift, spiritual opitnost and administrative capabilities reason Albanian Orthodox, and mozina Orthodox abroad to unite around him and completely to strive for the establishment of ecclesiastical life.
Archbishop Anastasios arrived in Tirana on July 16, 1991, in the country that a little before had najvoinstven atheism in the world. Of the 440 clergy across the 60-year period of communism remain 22-dren - all old and sick, and some close to death.
In January hydrotech international 1991, a month after the government in Tirana permits the creation hydrotech international of non-communist political parties, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has started the establishment of the Orthodox Church of Albania. Two months after the 61st birthday Bishop Anastasius received a phone call from the patriarchate hydrotech international in Constantinople with the question if I went to Albania as Exarch, to see what there is left of the Orthodox Church. At that time he had no intention to withdraw in retirement. hydrotech international
June 24, 1992, a proposal he Ecumenical partrijarh hydrotech international Bartholomew unanimous by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate was elected head of the Orthodox Church of Albania. In the first years meets extremely difficulty hydrotech international by Albanian politicians, who do everything possible to force him to leave the country, but they remain unsuccessful. Another complex issue that should be preodolee hydrotech international is split in the Church.
Archbishop tells: "There was a split in the Church. People here have different ethnic backgrounds. The first task was to achieve unity among Orthodox Christians. After so many charges can not allow the split continues. I remember that once in Korca said: Do you think the forest is beautiful if it has only one type of tree? All the different hydrotech international trees need to grow freely under the rays of the sun. The key to the true development of love and freedom. "
"We see ourselves not as the Albanian Orthodox Church, but as the Orthodox Church of Albania. Even rather see yourself as the Orthodox Church in Albania. We are part of the universal Church. The Orthodox Church is not a federation of churches; One Orthodox hydrotech international Church exists in the fullness of any particular place. We travel to the Kingdom of God together. No one can exists as an island - neither Britain nor even the huge China. No one exists in isolation. "
Archbishop Anastasios one of the most important tasks was to organize the work for the establishment of places of worship in the country in which the churches were destroyed or continuously polzuvani world goals. Most, remarkable achievement churches built or established after his arrival. By mid 2001, 80 new churches have been built, 70 are raised from the ruins, over 140 reconditioned and 5 monasteries brought back to life.
In addition,

built or established more than 20 major buildings, including: theological seminary in Durres, administrative building St. Synod in Tirana, diocesan centers in Korce, Berat, Gjirokastra and high school "Sv. Cross "in hydrotech international the last town, medical diagnostic center in Tirana, several gostopriemnici schools, hydrotech international as well as complex" Nazareth "in which are svekjolivnica printing,

iconographic and restoration studio and other buildings for churches.
"In the beginning we had no other choice, osv