Via a post on social media, Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania quoted his speeches and statements after the beginning of the war, in which he referred to the word “war” by Russia against Ukraine.
The reason for this announcement was an article by Archdeacon Fr. Chrysaugis.
In particular, in the announcement on social media, Archbishop Anastasios stressed that “The phrase that Archbishop Anastasios, a teacher, and mentor of Archdeacon Chrysaugis, avoided mentioning or naming Russia in relation to his statements about the war in Ukraine, is not accurate.”
He added that “The Archbishop of Albania, on March 13, said during a speech at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tirana, “we are intensifying our call for an immediate end to Russia’s fratricidal war against Ukraine, for the treatment of the wounded, for the relief of the refugees, and for the avoidance of further escalation of hostilities.”
Moreover, in his 2022 Easter Message, he stated that “in these days, when the pain, grief, and confusion caused by Russia’s fratricidal war against Ukraine overwhelm our thoughts and souls, the reference to love may seem strange.”
He concluded by stressing that “in our calls for peace during our liturgies, the clergy has been instructed to add the following reference: we pray for the immediate cessation of Russia’s fratricidal war in Ukraine…”.
