Metropolitan Koritsa John, Archbishop of the Archbishopric Throne, Following the Blessed Anastasios Execution in 25 January, The Holy Synod elected, as the new archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all of Albania.
The Holy Synod convened after the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of the Lord in Tirana. The members of the Synod, the metropolitans of Amantia Nathanael and Argyrokastro Dimitrios, who are Greek citizens, were excluded from the candidacy, as they do not meet the criterion of Albanian citizenship, according to the Charter of the Church of Albania, which was approved 2006.
With the announcement of the election of the new archbishop, the bells in all the holy temples of Albania tolled joyfully.
In his brief message to the faithful, who shouted "worthy" the new superior emphasized among other things, how with humility, obeying God's will, he accepted this high ministry and promised to perform it with devotion.
"I will respect the Sacred Tradition and fight with all my strength to defend the rights of the Church. Aware of the weight of this responsibility, I pray to Christ, the Founder of the Church, to enlighten me, strength and wisdom".
Who is the new Archbishop of Albania?
Archbishop John, by world Fatmir Pelusi, born in 1956 in Kortsa, the Orthodox Church of which he served as metropolitan after his enthronement, the 1998.
Himself, in his interviews, has revealed that the years of persecution of any religion in atheist Albania, he was interested in religious matters and indeed the 1975 he met Christianity from a French copy of the New Testament, given to him by a friend of his, under the guise of learning French. Searches followed in the Tirana Central Library, where he secretly borrowed books of all religions. The next high-risk step for him and his family, in Albania of cruel persecutions, was his participation in a secret group of Christians that held meetings in various houses in Kortsa. His baptism took place in the same secret, from father Kosmas and received the name John.
After the fall of the communist regime in Albania, had the opportunity to study at Holy Cross Orthodox Theological School in Boston, with a scholarship established by the Albanian community in America in memory of Bishop Fan Noli and graduated from 1993. Then in Albania, blessed Anastasios had already begun the work of restoring the Church. Upon the invitation of the superior, John returned to Albania to help with his important work and the 1994 initially he was ordained a deacon and at the end of the same year a priest, by Archbishop Anastasios.
With a master's degree in Theological Studies, served as a lecturer and dean of the Theological Academy of the Albanian Orthodox Church. The 1996 he was appointed director of the Theological School of Durres and at the same time became an archimandrite.
At 18 July 1998 he was elected metropolitan of Kortsa and was enthroned a few days later.
The enthronement ceremony of the new primate of the Autocephalous Church of Albania, expected to take place on 29 Of March.