Archbishop Dr Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania
WCC president (Eastern Orthodox)
His Beatitude Archbishop Dr Anastasios, of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania, is professor emeritus of the National University of Athens and honorary member of the Academy of Athens. He is currently one of the vice-presidents of the Conference of European Churches, and has served as primate of Albania since 1992. In this capacity, he reconstructed the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania from ruins and initiated important contributions in healthcare, development work, emergency relief, culture, ecology and peace-making. From 1984-1991, Anastasios was moderator of the WCC's Commission on World Mission and Evangelism; from 1981 to 1990, he was the acting archbishop of East Africa, where he organized and developed the Orthodox Mission in East Africa; and from 1983-1986, dean of the Theological School at the University of Athens.