Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești met on Tuesday with Albania’s Ambassador to Romania, Enkeleda Mërkuri, at the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest. During the meeting, the two sides discussed opportunities for academic and spiritual cooperation between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Albanian Orthodox Church.
The Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop recalled Romania’s significant contribution to the development of both the Albanian Church and the modern Albanian state, emphasising that this shared heritage can serve as the foundation for new joint initiatives.
“Considering the important role played by the Romanian people and the Romanian Orthodox Church in Albania’s attainment of independence and in the organisation of the new Albanian state and its Church, there is a strong desire to deepen these ties, particularly in the academic sphere,” he said.
Academic and spiritual cooperation
Bishop Varlaam noted that Albanian authorities have proposed that Albanian theologians and historians conduct research in Romanian archives because “it is well known that the Albanian emancipation movement from Ottoman rule was organised in Bucharest, where the first Albanian schools were established, the Albanian alphabet was created, and textbooks and prayer books were written in Albanian.”
The meeting also addressed the development of pilgrimage initiatives and museum cooperation between the two countries.
“There are already Albanian travel agencies that bring Romanian tourist groups to Orthodox religious sites, but there is a desire to develop cooperation specifically in the field of Christian pilgrimage, which differs substantially from secular tourism,” the bishop explained.
Bishop Varlaam also highlighted interest in organising joint exhibitions of icons and ecclesiastical heritage objects.
Relations between Albania and Romania
Albanian Ambassador Enkeleda Mërkuri emphasised that the long-standing historical ties between the two peoples provide a solid foundation for new collaborative initiatives.
“Our desire to place greater emphasis on relations between our two countries is rooted to a large extent in the religious and cultural ties between Albania and Romania.”
“Today we sought to propose several cultural and religious activities that could further strengthen this relationship, which has very deep historical roots,” the ambassador added.
The Albanian Orthodox Church proclaimed its autocephaly in 1922, which was recognised by the Ecumenical Patriarchate in 1937.
After decades of persecution under the communist regime—which declared Albania the world’s first officially atheist state in 1967—the Church was reorganised after 1991, thanks in large part to the work of the late Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos. Since 2025, the Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania has been His Beatitude Archbishop John.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Raluca-Emanuela Ene
