March 2-4, 2026, at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts (USA), an international conference was held dedicated to exploring the life, theological legacy, and ecumenical ministry of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos) of Tirana and All Albania. The academic event, entitled “Anastasios: Archbishop, Theologian, Missionary,” was organised by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute and the Missions Institute of Orthodox Christianity. Both institutions are affiliated with the Hellenic College Holy Cross.
The conference programme included addresses by hierarchs and renowned Orthodox theologians, as well as presentations of selected academic works devoted to the role of Anastasios as a scholar, missionary, and church official. In their papers and during the panel discussions, participants paid particular attention to Bishop Anastasios’ innovative work as an archbishop, his contribution to theological scholarship and interfaith dialogue, as well as his missionary efforts during his ministry in Africa and Albania.
The opening of the conference was marked by welcoming speeches by the director of the Huffington Institute, Rev. Dr. John Chryssavgis; Archbishop Elpidophoros (Lambrinadis) of America; and the director of the Missionary Institute of Orthodox Christianity, Rev. Dr. Luke Veronis. Following the welcoming remarks, Archbishop Joani (Pelushi) of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, delivered a keynote address, sharing his personal impressions of his co-service and ecclesiastical collaboration with the late Archbishop Anastasios.
Metropolitan Ignatius of Demetrias, in his speech “Ecclesiology in practice,” noted that Archbishop Anastasios not only rebuilt church spaces and restored ecclesiastical institutions, but also sought, on the basis of the sacrament of the Eucharist, to unite the scattered Albanian communities into a single Body of Christ within the state and to strengthen the role of the Albanian Church in the pan-Orthodox context.
Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, Director of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, in his report “Evangelism and Nationalism,” emphasised that mission and the Eucharist are the two key constitutive elements that form the Church. He recalled that for Archbishop Anastasios, indifference towards the Church’s mission was an unforgivable sin and a betrayal of Orthodoxy. At the same time, the Head of the Albanian Church always opposed extremes of religious nationalism, as well as superficial internationalism, which seeks to devalue or even nullify the cultural characteristics of each of the Orthodox peoples.
Anyone interested can view the conference programme via this link: https://huffingtoninstitute.hchc.edu/event/anastasios-missionary-theologian-archbishop
You can watch the livestream recordings from the conference here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8suj_07ue6kNzIit5l-9yGiCWcjf6HN
