Thousands of Albanians gathered in the capital on Thursday to pay their last respects to Archbishop Anastasios, who revived the country’s Orthodox Christian Church after the fall of the Communist party in 1990.

The faith of the Orthodox community of Albania was certainly embodied in the life of our dear brother,” the pope said in his Jan. 27 message.

The funeral service was attended by Orthodox patriarchs, archbishops, ecclesiastical delegations, representatives of the Vatican etc

Under Archbishop Anastasios Yannoulatos’ leadership, after the fall of communism, more than 400 parishes were reopened and several new churches were built.

People gather during the funeral of the late Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Thursday, Jan. 30,

Archbishop Anastasios, a key figure in global Orthodoxy, died at the age of 95. He led the Albanian Orthodox Church since 1992, revitalizing it after its communist-era ban.

The late Archbishop Anastasios of Albania began his final journey today as his relic departed from the Cathedral of Athens at 10:00 a.m., accompanied by the

The body of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania who died on Saturday is lying in state at the Athens Orthodox cathedral.

The Archbishop of Albania Anastasios died today after several days of hospitalization at the “Evangelismos” hospital where he had been rushed from Tirana. It

Archbishop Anastasios, the head of the Albanian Orthodox Church for three decades, has died aged 95 in an Athens hospital after being airlifted to the Greek capital following a virus infection.

Archbishop Anastasios, an ecumenical movement leader credited with helping to revitalize the Orthodox Church in Muslim-majority Albania, has died at the age of 95.

Once known as "the North Korea of Europe", Albania is turning to its millennia-old sites and rich cultural heritage to recast its image.