The stream of the faithful from all over Albania continues at a steady pace to the Holy Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tirana to pay their respects to the late Archbishop of Tirana and All Albania, Anastasios.
People of all ages, with tears in their eyes, line up to honor the deceased Hierarch.
On Tuesday night, a vigil was held in front of his holy remains, while people continue to visit the Cathedral to be at the side of Archbishop Anastasios.
The emotion was evident during the reception of Anastasios’ remains in Tirana on Tuesday afternoon.
Members of the Holy Synod, led by the Locum Tenens of the Archbishop’s Throne, Metropolitan Ioannis of Korçë, received the body.
The remains of the late Archbishop will be on display at the Cathedral throughout Wednesday for those who wish to pay their respects.
Following the Divine Liturgy, the funeral service is scheduled for Thursday, January 30, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. local time (12:00 p.m. Greek time).
The ceremony will be honored by the presence of the Primates of the Orthodox Churches, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus and Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece.
In addition, according to orthodoxtimes.com, Metropolitan Nifon of Târgoviște will attend on behalf of the Romanian Patriarchate.
Patriarch Theodoros of Alexandria and his representative in Athens, Metropolitan Georgios of Guinea, will also be present.
At the same time, the Prime Ministers of Greece and Albania, Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Edi Rama, will attend the funeral service as a gesture of recognition of the spiritual and social contributions of the late Archbishop.
