One of the greatest personalities of our time, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and All Albania Anastasios, is featured on the program "Personally."
Everyone recognizes his calm and insightful perspective on current events, as well as the simplicity of his expression. Most importantly, his words align with his actions. He has played a pivotal role in both the reconstruction of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania and the improvement of relations between the two nations, as his skillful handling of crises has defused tensions.

In this highly significant interview, Archbishop Anastasios discusses the following topics:

On relations between the two countries:
"Over the past two years, relations have worsened. There is an odd silence in which other forces, desiring tension here and in Greece, have emerged. We need to be cautious—we cannot afford further experiments. The two peoples must live together, strive together, and move forward for the better. There are voices that are not friendly. And there’s a problem: we worry about the loud rhetoric we occasionally hear, but we fail to examine the root cause of these issues."

On the recent rise of racism in Greece:
"It doesn’t matter if a person is white or black. Above all, they are a person. Respect for humanity, as the image of God, is paramount. This doesn’t mean turning a blind eye when someone wields a Kalashnikov, nor should the state remain indifferent when Greek-Albanian friendship peaks in joint criminal activities. The state bears enormous responsibility. How did we allow ourselves to descend into such decline?

In difficult times, I never underestimate fanaticism, which can easily flourish in any environment, nor stupidity and foolishness, which can sometimes be stronger than prudence and reason. There’s a fascinating dissertation titled 'The Contribution of Fools to the Development of Civilization.' Beware of folly and falsehood."

On priests associated with individuals showing racist behavior:
"It brings me sadness and disappointment. I believe the responsible bishop should call them and say, 'That is not your place.' You see, in any institution, there are always individuals who lack both intelligence and integrity."

On the roots of the financial crisis and Greece’s current situation:
"We forgot the difficult times we went through in the 20th century, and now we worry about our current challenges. We do not reflect seriously on the past. In recent years, history has been ‘snubbed.’ Woe to the nations that have no memory; they suffer from Alzheimer's in their daily lives.

Before the financial crisis, there was a crisis of values, an ethical and social crisis. I believe we distanced ourselves greatly from the ideals of the Christian faith. We underestimated and even fought against them. We reached a point where, instead of respecting every individual, we respect the freedom of markets—those impersonal entities of unknown interests that influence the global economy and can crush nations and peoples."

On his battle with cancer:
"It was a shock when I found out. I thought, ‘The end you’ve long anticipated from other sides is coming.’ But then I reflected, ‘The end will surely come, one way or another. Just ensure that the time you have left is lived rightly.’ I made peace with it from the very beginning because, in tough times, there is a refuge. Faith and trust in God are a great and inexhaustible source of strength."

On his childhood and his mother’s impact:
He recalls his childhood, his family, and becomes emotional when speaking about the most important person in his life—his mother:
"When I was about to be born, my mother never ceased to pray and hope because her pregnancy was very high-risk. In fact, she was told she wouldn’t be able to nurse the baby, but as she later told me, she nursed me for a long time because we were poor at the time but deeply united as a family. My mother was the most important person in my life. My father was often absent from home. She lived to be 90 and was always by my side. I couldn’t thank her as much as I wanted to..."