DECR chairman congratulates Primate of Albanian Orthodox Church on the 45th anniversary of his archpastoral ministry
Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, sent the following greeting to His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania with the 45th anniversary of his episcopal consecration:
Your Beatitude:
Please accept my cordial greetings with an anniversary of your episcopal consecration.
Forty-five years ago the Church enthroned you “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12). By Your zealous work in the vineyard of Christ during all these years you have attained the abundant grace of the Holy Spirit who helps you and strengthens you in your hard archpastoral labours. You devote all your energies and gifts to those needing your care, wisely guiding them to the source of all the good – our Lord Jesus Christ.
As chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, I would like to express special gratitude to you for your years-long contribution to the development of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Albanian Orthodox Church.
I wholeheartedly wish good health and long life to Your Beatitude, bishops and clerics of the Albanian Orthodox Church, and peace and prosperity to your flock named after Christ.
With reverential love in Christ,
+Hilarion
Metropolitan of Volokolamsk
Chairman
Department for External Church Relations
Moscow Patriarchate