Archbishop Anastasios, 95, is credited with having revived the Orthodox Church in Muslim-majority Albania and has led the church there for three decades.

The church today expressed “great pain” following the news of his demise.

He had been taken to the Greek capital on a Greek air force plane four days after being admitted to hospital in Tirana with what Church officials called a “seasonal virus”.

The Evangelismos hospital where he was being treated said he died following multiple organ failure.

Anastasios, a Greek national, had regularly received medical care in Athens in recent years.

In November 2020, he was hospitalised there for 12 days with Covid-19, also after being transported on a Greek military flight.

The archbishop was born in Piraeus, a port near Athens, and was known for his charisma, diplomatic skills and soft-spoken manner.