(2) August 3, 2003

July 27, 2003

He Gave His Country Hope
The Story of Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos

An Article in Parade Magazine
(A Publication from the United States)
By Nicolas Gage

       A bullet is suspended in the window of the spartan Tirana office of Archbishop Anastasios, head of the Orthodox Church of Albania - stopped in its flight toward him by the double-glazed pane. It was fired by a sniper during the 1997 political upheaval that pushed Albania - a predominantly Muslim country - into chaos and almost claimed the archbishop's life. "I keep it there," Anastasios says, " to remind me that life can end in a second. We must not waste a single day."
       Few men use their days like Archbishop Anastasios. Frail but energetic, the 73-year old prelate has spent the last 12 years overcoming immense obstacles to achieve a near miracle in one of the poorest countries in Europe.
       During communist rule, which lasted from 1945 to 1990, Albania - a nation of 3.5 million people north of Greece - became the only country in the world to prohibit all practice of religion. Just the act of crossing oneself could lead to a prison sentence. Every church, mosque, and synagogue was destroyed or converted to secular use as Albanians were isolated from the rest of the world.
       In the dozen years that Anastasios has been in Albania, he has not only resurrected the Orthodox Church but also inspired a bitter, brutalized people. "I can't think of anyone who has contributed more to the rebirth of Albania as a free European nation" says Albania's Prime Minister, Fatos Nano.
        How the former university professor managed to revive a people battered by decades of ruthless dictatorship offers a powerful lesson to Americans facing the same challenge in Iraq. Right now, Iraqis, like the Albanians when I came here, are suspicious and hostile because they lived in fear an oppression for so long" the Archbishop says. "The secret to changing attitudes is to show that Americans care about and respect them. Respect for the other is the essence of Christianity democracy. It's especially important to stay true to that ideal in places where cultures clash."
        After communism collapsed, Archbishop Anastasios was sent to Albania in 1991 by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians, to report on the country's religious situation. He found 1600 churches destroyed and only 22 elderly priests still alive of the 440 who had served Albania before communism. But Albanians were so desperate for religious freedom, many gathered for services in fields where nothing remained of their former churches but broken bells.
        So the Patriarch asked Anastasios to stay and rebuild the Orthodox Church himself. When his appointment was announced, many doubted that the fragile scholar - born Anastasios Yannoulatos in Piraeus, Greece - was up to the challenge. Two severe attacks of malaria had forced him to leave his missionary duties in East Africa, but he continued to teach and write books, including a respected study of Islam.
        When the call came to go to Albania, "all reason told me this was a mission without a chance," says the Archbishop who speaks five languages including English. "I was asked to revive the church without any financial support, in a destitute country undergoing a wrenching political transformation. I would have to learn a difficult language at an advanced age, live under harsh conditions and expect no protection against threats to my life. Everyone said I'd be crazy to stay."
        Then, he says, "he saw the despair in the faces of the Albanians he met. "I thought, 'who's going to help these people? Who is going to give them help?' I knew this was a test, and I said to myself, 'If you have faith, stay and struggle. If you don't, go home.'"
       So he stayed. During the next decade, Archbishop Anastasios overcame centuries of ethnic and religious hostility to establish a new church throughout an entire nation. He built 83 church buildings, repaired 140 in ruins, restored five monasteries and constructed and seminary, a convent and an archdiocese headquarters.
        "From the beginning, he has tried not only to resurrect the Orthodox Church of Albania, but also to serve all Albanians - by building schools, medical clinics, youth centers, children's homes, nurseries and camps," says the Rev. Luke Veronis, 38, an orthodox priest from Pennsylvania who has worked with the Archbishop for nine years. "All are open to everyone - Christians, Muslims, non-believers."
        "Our first priority is young people," explains Anastasios, who recently comforted a group of village children lined up outside a mobile dental unit by climbing into the van and letting the dentist examine his teeth first.
        The admiration he has earned from all Albanians saved Anastasios' mission - and probably his life - more than once. Because he came from Greece, which has had border disputes with Albania, and he defended the rights of minorities, including ethnic Greeks, he was subjected to fierce attacks.
        In 1994 - in an effort to get rid of Anastasios - Albania's first democratically elected President, Sali Berisha, drafted a constitution that required the head of the Orthodox Church to be born in Albania and live there for 20 years. The constitution was put to a referendum; everyone was certain it would pass because it had the government's support. The Archbishop packed his bags. But to everyone's amazement, the constitution was defeated; Albanians from all major religions had voted against it.
        In time, Anastasios even won the admiration of Sali Berisha, who is now leader of the major opposition party. "I respect what he has accomplished, especially in rebuilding the Orthodox Church," Dr. Berisha, a heart surgeon, now says.
        Having survived the referendum, Anastasios faced more trouble in 1997, when Albania exploded into chaos after the pyramid schemes that most Albanians had invested in collapsed. All but 20 foreigners left the country, and anarchy prevailed as mobs raided military depots, seizing a million rifles and gunfire lit the nights. The Archbishop appeared on radio and television to urge calm and instill hope. "International aid workers had fled, so all of us, including the Archbishop, delivered food to needy families, sometimes traveling eight hours to remote villages to do it," says Penny Deligiannis, who headed the humanitarian arm of the Orthodox church in Albania.
        "Every night snipers would fire at my office and residence, " the Archbishop recalls "but none of them hit anyone, thank God."
        Despite the danger, he believes the experience brought him closer to the Albanians. "It proved the we're not here just to play good Samaritans, but to live with them, share the risks they face and show that, in the worst of times, there is always hope."
       Two years later, thousands of Albanians from Kosovo poured into the country when Serb forces attacked them. "We helped as many refugees as possible, knowing almost all of them were Muslims," Anastasios says. "We collected more than twelve million dollars to set up camps that housed, fed and cared for 33,000 refuges."
        That effort helped strengthen the Archbishops standing with Albanian Muslims. "We strive to show that religious communities can come together and help each other, " says Anastasios. "Islam has the possibility of becoming very aggressive or quite moderate. The important thing is to prevent religious institutions from falling into the hands of fanatics."
        The invasion of Iraq has disturbed all Arabs, he believes. "They feel wounded, but if America shows that it is sincere in respecting the freedom and religion of the people of Iraq, then attitudes in the Muslim world will improve dramatically."
        To aid Albanian Muslims, the Archbishop stretches his limited resources, which come entirely from donations. An example is the state of the art clinic in Tirana where 3,000 - 4,000 people a month, mostly Muslims are treated. "No one is turned away," says Dr. Charles Linderman, 37, a physician from Cleveland who runs the surgical unit, "and I know there are churches not being built in order to keep the clinic going." Among those treated were the widow and daughter of Enver Hoxha, the late communist dictator who outlawed religion.
       Archbishop Anastasios is just as daring in dealing with his fellow Orthodox Christians. "When we started our seminary, everyone was shocked that we accepted female students," he recalls. "We needed them to direct programs and teach, but I also believe women must play a greater role in the life of the church. "
       As a result of such progressive views and his accomplishments, the Archbishop has drawn Americans and Europeans to Albania - including doctors, nurses, priests, architects and even computer experts - to help him in his work.
      Anastasios' most ambitious project, which he views as the capstone of his mission in Albania, is to rebuild an Orthodox Cathedral in Tirana to replace one that was demolished by the Communists. The name he has chosen for the cathedral embodies what he has accomplished for the Orthodox Church in Albania and the Albanian people - Resurrection.