The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Albania has elected Metropolitan Joan (Pelushi) of Korçë as the new Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania. The election process took place on Sunday in Tirana following the Divine Liturgy.
Metropolitan Joan is regarded as the spiritual son of the late Archbishop Anastasios and is expected to lead the Church of Albania in the same spirit as his predecessor.
Having been a close collaborator of the late Archbishop Anastasios for 32 years, Joan has served as the Metropolitan of Korçë for the past 27 years.
Romanian Patriarch Daniel extended his congratulations to the newly elected archbishop, wishing him “many blessed years in the service of the Orthodox people of Albania and help from God in all your activity.”
Who is the New Archbishop of Albania?
The newly elected Archbishop, aged 69, was born in Tirana and named Fatmir at birth. He was secretly baptized at the age of 23 during the period of religious persecution in Albania by the heroic priest Kosmas Kyrios, who later became a bishop.
He studied psychology at the University of Tirana and, from 1979 to 1990, worked in the rehabilitation department of the Psychiatric Hospital in Albania’s capital, specializing in occupational therapy for patients.
From Persecution to Mission
Since 1944, his father was declared an enemy of the regime, which persecuted all religious communities and often faced the risk of arrest.
In 1990, Joan travelled to Italy and later to Boston, USA, where he pursued theological studies at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.
In 1992, while many Albanians were leaving the country, he chose to contribute to rebuilding the Church in Albania. He informed Archbishop Anastasios of his decision to return, receiving full encouragement.
In September of the same year, he was appointed a professor at the Theological Academy of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.
On February 27, 1994, he was ordained a hierodeacon, and on December 4 of the same year, a hieromonk. In 1995, at the suggestion of Archbishop Anastasios, he continued his postgraduate theological studies in Boston.
In 1996, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. From 1996 to 1998, he served as dean of the Theological Academy of the Orthodox Church of Albania. In 1998, he was consecrated as a bishop and elected Metropolitan of Korçë, while also continuing to teach.
Theological Translator in Albanian
Fluent in English, French, Italian, and Greek, with familiarity in Latin and Hebrew, Archbishop Joan has translated significant theological and patristic works into Albanian, including On the Holy Spirit by St. Basil the Great.
Additionally, he co-authored the first Albanian-language manual of Dogmatics, translated numerous theological books, and published articles in academic journals both in Albania and internationally, as well as in widely circulated newspapers and magazines.
He has represented the Orthodox Church of Albania at numerous inter-Orthodox meetings and was involved for a decade in the preparatory committees for drafting the texts of the Holy and Great Council of Crete, as well as the final documents of the 2016 Synod.
Social Ministry
In the city of Korçë, he has been actively involved in social, educational, and cultural development, consistently promoting peaceful coexistence between religious communities.
Over the past 27 years, he has overseen daily charitable activities to support the city’s most vulnerable residents.
Photo: Facebook / Mitropolia e Shenjtë Korçë
