FLASH
Shkruar nga Flamur Vezaj
But even there, in the church of Noli, instead of remembering only its founder and the people who raised it and kept it alive, praises for Janullatos were once again heard.
His Beatitude, Archbishop Joan Pelushi, was in Boston for a few days' visit these days. He came at the invitation of the Greek Orthodox Church to participate in the memorial ceremony for Anastasios Yanullatos, held at the Greek church in Braintree.
The ceremony was accompanied by long speeches and superlatives for Janullatos, the man whom for years, a large part of the Albanian public has accused of Hellenizing the Albanian Orthodox Church. But in Boston, it seems that historical memory becomes selective.
And speaking of selectivity, in the photos it appears that during this visit Archbishop Pelushi communed with 14 bishops of different nationalities, among them the two bishops of the Albanian Churches in Boston, where the only Albanian Bishop was Theofan Koja, whose appointment as bishop was opposed by Pelushi's "teacher", Archbishop Janullatos. Did they meet and talk together? This is a separate story, no less interesting, waiting to be told.
But the greatest irony of this visit was not in the speeches. Pelushi also visited the historic St. George's Cathedral in Boston, the church founded by Fan Noli, the man who in 1908 laid the foundations of the Albanian Orthodox Church in America and who would later declare the Autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Albania.
Inside the Noli church, speeches were held about the history, sacrifice, and importance of the Albanian Orthodox Church in the diaspora.
But even there, in the church of Noli, instead of remembering only its founder and the people who raised it and kept it alive, praises for Janullatos were heard again. After the mass, a lunch was served in the guest's honor. Up to this point, things seemed somewhat in order.
But just a few minutes away from the church is the tomb of Fan Noli, the founder of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, former Prime Minister of Albania, translator, diplomat and one of the greatest figures in Albanian history.
His Holiness' visit to Boston also coincided with a historic moment for the Albanian Orthodox Church. It was on March 8, 1908, in this city, that Fan Noli held the first mass in the Albanian language and laid the foundations of the Albanian Orthodox Church in America, an act that would mark the beginning of its organization and later the path to autocephaly.
However, there was no visit to his grave, no wreath, no prayers for him, no lit candles, and no symbolic pause, but only a mass, some protocol speeches, and a friendly lunch.
But in the end, one question remains unanswered: How is it possible that the head of the Albanian Orthodox Church visits Boston, enters the Fan Noli church, talks about its history... but doesn't find time to stop at the grave of its founder?
Who stopped him? Those who invited him? Protocol? Or perhaps a historical memory that today prefers to honor others… and forget Noli!
Because for the Albanians of Boston, history is very clear: The Albanian Orthodox Church does not begin with Janullatos. It begins with Fan Noli!
E ÇFARE ISHTE NOLI?NJE SHQIPTARU!