In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Aqaba Process, His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama organized a summit in Aqaba, Jordan, on December 8–9, 2025. Religious leaders from the Balkans and the East participated in the event.
Participants from Albania included Archbishop Ioannis of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania; Monsignor Arjan Dodaj, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Tirana; and Bujar Spahiu, the Chairman of the Muslim Community of Albania.
The following Primates of the Orthodox Churches attended the Summit: Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem; Patriarch John X of Antioch; and Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia. Archbishop Ioannis held meetings with the latter. Representatives of the Orthodox Churches of Romania and Bulgaria, the Archdiocese of Ohrid, and other churches were also present.
The Roman Catholic Church was represented by the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. Representatives of Muslim communities from the Balkans and the Middle East also participated in the summit.
The Summit presented a historic opportunity for religious communities to gather in a spirit of respect and fraternal love. The people of the region were recognized as sharing more than a millennium of common history, rich in religious heritage, cultural achievements, science, and art, yet also marked by periods of hardship, conflict, and wounds that have left a deep imprint on collective memory.
The representatives expressed hope that cooperation and interfaith understanding will be strengthened in the future to promote the common good of communities, peoples, and national minorities. The summit’s final declaration referred to the holy figures and heroes of the Balkan peoples who bore witness to the strength of a living faith through their lives and example. It was noted that their example should inspire not only historical reconciliation, but also daily solidarity and constructive cooperation.
“We forgive, and we ask for forgiveness” was the central message of the dialogue for peaceful coexistence.
Archbishop Ioannis visited the Jordan River, the site of Christ’s baptism by Saint John the Baptist, as well as the surrounding churches.
