Pashko Vodica
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Archbishop Paisi (;
secular name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of Civil registry, registration of the birth ...
Pashko Vodica; 1881 – 4 March 1966) was the Primate of the
Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania The Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania (), commonly known as the Albanian Orthodox Church or the Orthodox Church of Albania, is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox church. It declared its autocephaly in ...
, holding the title Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and all Albania, from his installation on August 25, 1949, until his death on March 4, 1966. Paisi, who was formerly the Bishop of Korçë and had joined the communist-led National Liberation Front during World War II, succeeded Archbishop Kristofor Kisi. Archbishop Kisi was forcibly deposed by Albania's communist regime in August 1949, and Paisi's subsequent appointment to lead the Church received strong support from the state authorities. Following Archbishop Paisi's death, he was succeeded by Archbishop Damian Kokoneshi in April 1966. Archbishop Paisi was the father of
Josif Pashko Josif Pashko (25 May 1918 - 5 September 1963) was an Albanian politician during the country's socialist period. Biography Josif Pashko was born into a peasant family in the village of Vodica, Kolonja. In 1938, he graduated from the Normal Scho ...
, who became a high-ranking official in the Albanian communist government..


Life

Pashko Vodica was born in 1881 in the village of Vodicë,
Kolonjë Kolonjë is a municipality in Korçë County, southeastern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Barmash, Çlirim, Ersekë, Leskovik, Mollas, Novoselë, Qendër Ersekë and Qendër Leskovik. The seat of ...
region, in southern
Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
, at that time part of the
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. He began his primary education in his hometown but did not complete it. In 1910, Pashko, who was married by this time, was ordained a priest. In 1912, he was arrested by the Ottoman authorities due to his activities in support of the Albanian national movement. In 1920, following the death of his wife, he was elevated to the dignity of
Archimandrite The title archimandrite (; ), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot ('' hegumenos'', , present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") whom a bishop appointed to supervise several "ordinary" abbots and monaste ...
. Two years later, in 1922, he participated in the Orthodox Congress of Berat, at which the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania declared its autocephaly. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Pashko Vodica joined the National Liberation Front, fighting along the Communist forces.Stavro Skendi - Momente nga historia e Kishës Orthodhokse Shqiptare deri në vitet ’50 të shek. XX (in Albanian)
/ref> On April 18, 1948, Archimandrite Pashko Vodica was consecrated Bishop of
Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, eighth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population of the city is 51,152 and 75,994 of Korçë municipal ...
. The consecration was performed by Archbishop Kristofor (Kisi) with the participation of
Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...
Bishop Nestor (Sidoruk) (1904–1951). Pashko Vodica, who upon his election as primate took the name Paisi, had the strong support of the Communist authorities to succeed Archbishop Kristofor Kisi in 1949, and his subsequent actions reportedly never disappointed them. He openly demonstrated his communist affiliation in telegrams sent to
Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...
and to Alexius I,
Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia The Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus (), also known as the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, is the title of the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). It is often preceded by the honorific "His Holiness". As the ordinary of the diocese ...
. The appointment of Paisi as Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës, and all Albania on August 25, 1949, was followed by the formation of a new
Holy Synod In several of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches, the patriarch or head bishop is elected by a group of bishops called the Holy Synod. For instance, the Holy Synod is a ruling body of the Georgian Orthodox ...
. This Synod included Archbishop Paisi; Kiril Naslazi, Bishop of
Berat Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the List of cities and towns in Albania, ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and ea ...
; Fillothe Duni, Bishop of Korçë; Damian Kokoneshi, Bishop of
Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in Southern Albania, southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë moun ...
; and
Suffragan Bishop A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led b ...
Sofron Borova. Archbishop Paisi visited the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
twice. By the early 1960s, pressure on the church from the communist regime was intensifying, although Paisi reportedly never openly opposed the authorities. He remained Primate of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania until his death on March 4, 1966, in Tirana. He was succeeded by Archbishop Damian.


References

{{authority control 20th-century Albanian clergy 20th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Eastern Orthodox Christians from Albania Primates of the Albanian Orthodox Church 1881 births 1966 deaths People from Kolonjë