On Friday, October 7, 2022, Metropolitan Ilia fell asleep in the Lord.
Metropolitan Ilia was the spiritual leader of the Albanian Orthodox Diocese of America, under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and also a member of the Canadian Conference of Orthodox Bishops.
Metropolitan Ilia was a humble servant of the Lord, a hierarch with profound faith, and a man full of pastoral care and wisdom.
Upon learning about the passing of the Metropolitan, Archbishop Sotirios of Canada remarked: “Metropolitan Ilia dedicated himself to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Throughout the decades that I knew His Eminence, I was constantly inspired by his Christian zeal, devotion to God, and his love of his flock. May his memory be Eternal!”
On behalf of the entire plenitude of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada, we pray that the Lord rests the soul of Metropolitan Ilia among the saints and angels of heaven.