The meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with the President of Albania

On April 30, 2018, during the visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to the Albanian Orthodox Church , the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church met with the President of the Republic of Albania, Ilir Meta. In the conversation that took place at the residence of the head of state in Tirana, the Most Blessed Archbishop of Tirana and the whole of Albania Anastassy took part. His Holiness Patriarch Kirill was accompanied by Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk , Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archbishop Sergiy of Solnechnogorsk , Head of the Administrative Secretariat of the Moscow Patriarchate, Archpriest Nikolay Balashov , Deputy Chairman of the DECR, Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk, DECR Secretary for Inter-Orthodox Relations, Head of the Press Service of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Priest Alexander Volkov . Among those present were Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Albania A.R. Karpushin, representatives of the Presidential Administration: Secretary General Algi Blako, Head of Cabinet Arben Chichi, Diplomatic Adviser Walter Ibrahimi, Media Adviser Tedi Blushi, Advisor for Local Government Illy Aslani, Public Relations Director Edwin Schwartz. Greeting His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, Ilir Meta stressed: "This is a very important visit, and not only because it is the first visit of this level to our country, but also because of the irreplaceable role played by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia in ensuring religious harmony in the world ". "I want to assure that our country will continue to be an example of harmonious coexistence of religious communities, because it is a decisive factor in preserving peace both in our region and throughout the world," he stressed. For his part, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church thanked the head of state and in his person the people of Albania for the warm welcome. "This is the first visit of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to Albania," stressed His Holiness. - I've been here in 2003 and can compare what was at that time, and what is now. I would like to say that Albania has made a very big step in its development. I came across a completely different country: in addition to the wonderful nature, new beautiful buildings, roads, good agriculture are attracting attention. All that I could see made a good impression on me. " Especially noticeable are the changes in religious life, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church attested. "The majestic Cathedral of the Resurrection in which we performed the Liturgy is in a sense a symbol not only of a religious resurrection, but in general a symbol of the resurrection of Albania, a symbol of a new life," stated His Holiness the Patriarch. His Holiness emphasized the role of His Beatitude Archbishop Anastassy in preserving interreligious accord and cooperation in the country. "In your presence, I would like to thank His Beatitude Anastasia for his Abrahamic hospitality and, of course, for the great cause that he accomplished, creating an Orthodox community in this country," said the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. - We have very warm personal relations and good relations between the Churches. Vladyka Anastassy has visited our country many times. We attach great importance to such fraternal visits. " For his part, the President of Albania stressed: "We are not a very big country, but God has awarded us everything: two beautiful seas, lakes, endless rivers, griefs, fields - anything. We tried for several decades to live without faith in the Lord, but it was a failure. One of the gifts that the Lord gave us was Archbishop Anastassy, ​​who, as you noted, did an incredible job for the revival of the Albanian Orthodox Church. " Ilir Meta mentioned the important role of the Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church in ensuring the peaceful existence of religious communities in the country, as well as joint works of leaders of religious communities in this direction. "As you rightly said, faith is of great importance for the construction of peace and stability in the country. For us the indispensable role of religious communities and their leaders in Albania is undoubted, "the President said, referring to His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. During the conversation, the issue of tourist exchanges was discussed as an important factor in the rapprochement of peoples; the interlocutors also spoke about the challenges facing modern society. "Now many people are teaching us that in order to build a just and happy life, concentration of capital, economic power, military strength, scientific prosperity, social doctrines are sufficient," said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill. - Very rich countries tell us: live like us, and everything will be fine, you will achieve the goal. I scream at the top of my voice for the whole world: nothing will happen if humanity abandons God. There will be wealth - there will be no happiness. There will be power - there will be no justice. And we see what is happening now: terrible crises shake humanity. International law, international institutions, international organizations - all work for peace and justice in the world, but there is no peace, no justice. " Recalling that in different years he repeatedly discussed the theme of peace and justice with His Beatitude Archbishop of Tirana and all of Albania, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church expressed the opinion: "The experience of the life of our countries and peoples must convince very many that without faith, without the moral values ​​that are supported by faith, it is impossible to build a happy family, a happy society, or a happy world order. "