ABSTRACT
The recognition of autocephaly was important to Albania in order to improve relations with Greece and resist any Serbian and Catholic attempts to interfere in Albania. The new hierarchy of Albania’s Orthodox Church, composed of Archbishop Kristofor, Bishops Visarion, Agathangjel, and Irine, and Reverend Vasil Marko, resourcefully resisted Uniate pressure right up to Italy’s capitulation in September 1943 and its subsequent withdrawal from Albania. The Albanian Orthodox Church faced yet another serious threat during this turbulent time. The fact that, of the nearly 400 priests in Albania, only 2 betrayed the nation by holding welcoming ceremonies for an invading army or cooperating with occupiers shows that national consciousness in the Albanian Church was solid. In the midst of these disorienting events, the brief invasion of Albanian territory by Greek forces in an area Greece considered Northern Epirus was of telling importance.
