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The Head of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, has congratulated the new Archbishop of the Albanian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in a letter. In his message, Pope Francis expresses his hopes for a renewed commitment to deepening relations between the Catholic Church and the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.
The Holy See sent a delegation to the coronation of His Beatitude Joan as Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, which took place on Saturday in Tirana.
Archbishop Flavio Pace, Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, led the delegation, accompanied by Ms. Andrea Palmieri, Undersecretary of the same Dicastery, and Ms. Ionuţ Paul Strejac, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Apostolic Nunciature in Tirana.
Pope Francis sent a letter to Archbishop Joan to express his "fraternal greetings in the love of Christ."
“Expressing my spiritual closeness. I assure you of my prayers that God the Father, the source of every good thing, will grant you the abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit as you guide those entrusted to your care.”
He recalled Archbishop Ioan's predecessor, His Beatitude Anastasios, whose apostolic zeal "left a deep and lasting legacy in Albania."
"Anastasius distinguished himself with his commitment to the peaceful coexistence of men and women belonging to different churches and religious traditions, and he contributed significantly to improving relations between our churches," the Pope said.
Pope Francis continued by inviting Archbishop Joan to continue to promote dialogue as a way to overcome divisions and seek full unity among Christians.
"In these difficult times marked by war and violence it is increasingly urgent that Christians give credible witness to unity, so that the world can fully embrace the gospel message of fraternal solidarity and peace," he said.
The Pope noted that Christians have a responsibility to show the world "the true unity, sadly not yet complete, that already unites us."
"It is my heartfelt hope that under your paternal guidance, relations between the Church of Albania and the Catholic Church will develop further, seeking new forms of fruitful cooperation in the proclamation of the Gospel, in the service of those most in need, and renewing our commitment to resolving the issues that still divide us through a dialogue of charity and truth," the Pope concluded.
In conclusion, Pope Francis assured Archbishop Joan of his prayers for his ministry and gave him “a fraternal embrace in Christ our Lord.”
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