TIRANA, Albania — In a significant event for Albania’s Orthodox community, the enthronement ceremony for Archbishop Joan was held on Saturday. The ritual, marking Joan’s formal commencement as the archbishop of Tirana, Durres, and the broader region of Albania, took place at the grand Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, located in central Tirana. This ceremony follows the passing of the previous Archbishop, Anastasios, in January. The new archbishop will now lead the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.
Earlier in the month, the Holy Synod, a council of seven religious figures, reached a unanimous decision to elect Joan as the successor to Anastasios, whose role remained unfulfilled following his death. Joan was previously serving as the metropolitan of Korca. The enthronement ceremony attracted the presence of prominent figures in religious, political, and social spheres. Attendees included Albania’s religious dignitaries, high-ranking officials, politicians, global Orthodox leaders, a representative from the Vatican, alongside Greek ministers of defense and social cohesion. The cathedral was filled as hundreds of faithful gathered to witness the ceremony.
During the event, Bishop Nikolla of Apollonia and Fieri, representing the Holy Synod, made remarks emphasizing Joan’s dedication to maintaining the religious harmony and coexistence that his predecessor Anastasios championed. Anastasios was known for revitalizing the church in Albania post-communism. Archbishop Joan reiterated the church’s aspiration to live peacefully, emphasizing that the heritage of religious coexistence should be “protected and further enriched.”
Albania’s President, Bajram Begaj, remarked that the ceremony conveyed a universal message, urging citizens of goodwill to strive towards creating a fairer, more compassionate, and united society.
The Orthodox Church of Albania gained its independence, or autocephalous status, in 1922, breaking away from the oversight of the Archdiocese of Ohrid and the Patriarchate of Constantinople. Archbishop Joan, originally named Fatmir Pelushi and now 69, was once a member of a Muslim family. In 1979, he was discreetly baptized by priest Kosmas Kyrios, who would subsequently become the Bishop of Apollonia.
All religious practices were prohibited in Albania from 1967 for 23 years, during a period of intense internal isolation under communist rule, which led to the confiscation of properties belonging to churches including Islamic, Orthodox, and Catholic institutions. Joan, whose family suffered under communist persecution, became part of an underground church group. He worked at a psychiatric hospital in Tirana until 1990, a year marking the crumbling of communist control in Albania. During this time, Joan managed to escape to Italy and later pursued religious education in Boston at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.
By 1992, amidst widespread emigration from Albania due to economic hardship, Joan reached out to Archbishop Anastasios expressing his wish to return and aid in the church’s rebuilding efforts. Joan is currently the sixth leader of the Albanian Orthodox Church.
According to recent census data from 2023, Orthodox followers constitute roughly 7% of Albania’s 2.4 million population, though the church maintains the actual number of adherents is larger. Albania, a small country in the Western Balkans, consists of approximately half Muslim population, followed by Catholics and Orthodox Christians, along with other religious communities and nonbelievers, all cohabitating peacefully.