Huffington Ecumenical Institute to convene international conference on Archbishop Anastasios

 

The late Archbishop Anastasios during a prayer service at the WCC Central Committee meeting, Orthodox Academy of Crete, Greece, 20212, Photo: WCC/Mark Beach

Scholars and church leaders from around the world will gather 2-4 March in Boston for an international conference examining the life and legacy of Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana, Durrës and All Albania, one of the most prominent Orthodox Christian leaders of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Titled “Anastasios: Missionary, Theologian, Archbishop,”the conference will be hosted by the Huffington Ecumenical Institute at Hellenic College Holy Cross, in collaboration with the Missions Institute of Orthodox Christianity. The event will take place at the Maliotis Cultural Center and marks the first anniversary of Archbishop Anastasios’s passing.

The three-day program will explore Anastasios’s wide-ranging impact as a missionary in Africa, a theologian and educator, and the architect of the revival of the Orthodox Church in Albania following decades of communist repression. Speakers include prominent Orthodox hierarchs, theologians, and scholars from Europe, Africa, and North America.

Conference sessions are organized thematically, focusing on Anastasios’s missionary vision, theological contributions, pastoral leadership, and role in ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. In addition to academic presentations, the program includes liturgical services, film screenings, and personal reflections from those who worked closely with him.

The conference aims not only to assess Archbishop Anastasios’s historical significance, but also to consider how his approach to mission, reconciliation, and church leadership continues to shape Orthodox engagement with the modern world.

Recognizing the international interest in the event, organizers have announced that the conference will be live-streamed, with recordings made available to registered participants following the event. 

Both in-person and online attendees are required to register in advance, with registration options available through the Huffington Ecumenical Institute.

Source: https://www.oikoumene.org/news/huffington-ecumenical-institute-to-convene-international-conference-on-archbishop-anastasios