Metropolitan Dimitrije Has Died: The Heart of Orthodoxy in Albania Has Stopped Beating
Have you heard of Metropolitan Dimitrije? If not, it’s time to learn about the man who was a pillar of Orthodoxy in Albania and who passed away last night after all his organs failed. Yes, you read that right – all his organs! This isn’t just news; it’s a tragedy that shook the Orthodox community.
Metropolitan Dimitrije Dikbasanis, born in Serres, Greece, dedicated his life to the church. He studied theology at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and later became a member of the monastic brotherhood at the Monastery of Saint Catherine on Mount Sinai in Egypt. There, he worked on systematizing ancient manuscripts, one of the most valuable contributions to the church’s heritage.
But that’s not all! He was one of the first to join the mission of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania in the early 1990s, right after Archbishop Anastas arrived. He served as protosyncellus in the Metropolis of Gjirokastër and was long the deputy president of the educational foundation “Spirit of Love,” founded by the late Archbishop Anastas.
His death at the University General Hospital in Ioannina, where he was treated for a respiratory infection and endocarditis, shocked many. Despite doctors’ efforts, his body couldn’t hold on – all his organs failed. This is an irreplaceable loss.
The funeral service will be held on July 1st at the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Gjirokastër, and the Chapel of the Holy Archiepiscopate in Tirana is already a place where people are saying goodbye to this great man.
This tragedy makes us think about how important our spiritual leaders are and how little we know about their struggles and contributions. Metropolitan Dimitrije was not just a church official – he was a pillar of the community, a bridge between peoples and faiths, a guardian of tradition and education.
If this story touched your heart or you have your own thoughts about the role of the church in today’s world, drop a comment below. Let’s chat about who our heroes really are and why we often don’t notice them while they’re still with us.
Slug: umro-mitropolit-dimitrije-pravoslavlje-albanija
