Archbishop Joan receives greetings and praise from church primates on his name day

The grand celebration of the name day of His Beatitude Joan, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, on September 26, 2026 at the Resurrection of Christ Cathedral in Tirana, was joined by numerous letters of congratulations and praise sent by primates of sister Orthodox Churches from around the world.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, in his letter of congratulations, wrote among other things: “With joy of heart we communicate with Your most honored Beatitude, to express the congratulations of the Holy and Great Church of Christ and personal congratulations on the occasion of the honored feast of Your name. We praise God of wonders, the almighty, He who sees all and is most merciful, who gifted His Holy Church with Your most honored Beatitude, the compassionate spiritual father; the wise helmsman in the Church’s journey in the world toward that which ‘is not of this world,’ the Kingdom of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the vigilant guardian of the Holy Traditions and the culture of Orthodoxy, at the axis of which is God-loving and man-loving unity. ‘Love for God and for man, inseparable.’ We pray to the Heavenly Giver of every good thing, to grant You full health, many fruitful years, spiritual joy and every blessing from above, and to strengthen Your most precious Beatitude to us in Your high and greatly responsible service, for the good of the people of God entrusted to You by Him, of all Orthodoxy and the whole world.”

The Archbishop also received heartfelt congratulations from the Primates of the sister Churches: Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem; Patriarch Kirill of Russia; Patriarch Daniel of Romania; from the Patriarchate of Georgia; Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus; Archbishop Ieronymos II of Greece, and others.

Pope Leo XIV, in his message of congratulations, expressed among other things: “May God, the almighty Father, grant You health, peace and spiritual joy. In this time marked by conflicts and violence, I hope that Catholics and Orthodox in Albania will continue on the path of mutual respect, dialogue and peaceful coexistence, undertaking cooperation projects in the fields where it is now possible to work together, such as teaching the faith to younger generations, protecting the dignity of the human person and serving those most in need.” The message of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV to Archbishop Joan was conveyed by the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See (Vatican) in Albania, Archbishop Miroslaw Adamczyk, who expressed his own high personal congratulations and esteem for the Archbishop of Albania.

Letters of congratulations and praise were also sent by metropolitans and various personalities from around the Orthodox world, expressing great appreciation for the service of Archbishop Joan at the head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, “that the word of God may spread swiftly and triumph” in a world tormented by darkness and the lack of spiritual life. They emphasize the love and unity among the sister Orthodox Churches, as well as the wish that the grace, peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with the prayers of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, be always with Archbishop Joan.