Church of Albania
| Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania Kisha Ortodokse Autoqefale e Shqipërisë |
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| Founder |
Apostle Paul Theofan Stilian Noli |
| Independence | 17 September 1922 |
| Recognition | recognised in 1937 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. |
| Primate | Archbishop Anastasios of Albania |
| Headquarters | Resurrection Cathedral, Tirana, Albania |
| Territory | Albania and Albanian diaspora |
| Possessions | — |
| Language |
Albanian (Greek,Macedonian and other languages can be used for all those who are used to have their liturgy in other languages, with the condition that the liturgy text is approved by OACA) |
| Members | 500,000-700,000-800,000 (claimed), number much higher when diaspora is considered. |
| Bishops | 6 |
| Priests | 135 |
| Parishes | 909 |
| Monasteries | 150 |
| Website | http://www.orthodoxalbania.org/ |
The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania (Albanian: Kisha Ortodokse Autoqefale e Shqipërisë) is one of the newest Eastern Orthodox Churches. It declared its autocephaly in 1922 through its Congress of 1922, and gained recognition from the Patriarch of Constantinople in 1937.
The church suffered during the Second World War, and in the communist period that followed, especially after 1967 when Albania was declared an atheist state, and no public or private expression of religion was allowed.
The church has, however, seen a revival since religious freedom was restored in 1991, with more than 250 churches rebuilt or restored, and more than 100 clergy being ordained. It has 909 parishes spread all around Albania, and around 500,000 to 550,000 (unconfirmed) faithful. The number is claimed to be as high as 700,000 by some Orthodox sources – and higher when considering the Albanian diaspora.
Ecclesiastically, Christians in Albania being part of the Illyricum province were under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome (1st-8th century). At 732-733 AD the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of Illiricum was transferred to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. The schism of 1054 formalized the split of Christianity into two branches, Catholicism and Orthodoxy that was reflected in Albania with the emergence of a Catholic north and Orthodox south. During the moment of schism (1054) Albanians were attached to the Eastern Orthodox Church and were all Orthodox Christians.
The official recognition of the Eastern Orthodox Church by the Porte resulted in the Orthodox population being tolerated until the late 18th. The Orthodox population of Albania was integrated into the Patriarchate of Constantinople, with the population of central and south-eastern Albania being under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Orthodox Archbishopric of Ohrid, and the population of south-western Albania being under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Metropolis of Ioannina.
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Wikipedia