Anastas Janullatos, Archbishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, professor, corresponding member of the Academy of Athens, was born in Piraeus (Greece). In 1952, he completed higher studies in theology at the University of Athens, where he received the degree of “doctor in theology” (1970). He was professor of the history of religious beliefs at the University of Athens (1972–1977) and dean of the Faculty of Theology (1983–1986). Anastas Janullatos was ordained deacon in 1960, priest in 1964 and bishop of Andrusa 1972–1991. At the beginning of 1991, he was appointed exarch (representative) of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, with the task of organizing the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. With his care, new Albanian clergy were prepared, existing churches were restored and new Orthodox churches were built throughout the country. On June 24, 1992, based on the agreement reached between the representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the President of the Republic of Albania Sali Berisha, Anastas Janullatos was appointed Archbishop of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania. He was enthroned on August 2, 1992 in Tirana. His appointment caused objections and protests from a large group of Orthodox believers and Albanian intellectuals who wanted to implement Article 16 of the Statute of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania of 1929, according to which the archbishop must be Albanian by blood and language, as well as to have Albanian citizenship. (In the photo: Anastas Janullatos)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1063.
Photo: © https://orthodoxalbania.org/2020/kryepiskopi-i-tiranes-durresit-dhe-gjithe-shqiperise/#
Graphic processing: AHCF
