During a recent visit to the United States, Archbishop John of the Albanian Orthodox Church called for the strengthening and open manifestation of unity among Orthodox Churches worldwide. This message was delivered in a statement reported by the news portal of the Albanian Church.

Speaking after the conciliatory liturgy at St. Catherine’s Church in Braintree, Massachusetts, on the Sunday of the Feast of Orthodoxy, the Archbishop emphasized the need for the world to witness Christian unity not merely in words but also in action. “We are united at heart, but we must show this to the world. It is impossible to call for dialogue with others if there is no living dialogue among ourselves,” he stated.

The service, presided over by Archbishop John, served as a rare example of joint prayer involving hierarchs from various Local Churches. Attendees included representatives from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Serbian, Georgian, Antiochian, Alexandrian, American, and other Local Churches, as well as bishops from Albanian dioceses in America.

Archbishop John made the trip to the U.S. at the invitation of Bishop Elpidophoros from the Ecumenical Patriarchate. A focal point of the visit was participation in an international conference titled “Anastasios: Archbishop, Theologian, and Missionary,” dedicated to the memory of the late Archbishop Anastasios of the Albanian Church. The forum is being held at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brooklyn, Massachusetts, where the current Albanian Archbishop had once studied.

In his sermon, Archbishop John reminded the congregation that the Feast of Orthodoxy is not merely a historical commemoration of the victory over iconoclasm but also a call for internal renewal. He stated that restoring the “image of God” in the believer's heart is the foundation of true ecclesiastical unity and witness to the world.