Albania’s Orthodox Church enthrones its new Archbishop Joan

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania’s Orthodox Church on Saturday held an enthronement ceremony for its new Archbishop Joan, who succeeded Archbishop Anastasios following his death in January.

The ceremony was held at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ in downtown Tirana, formally launching Joan’s leadership as the archbishop of Tirana, Durres and all of Albania and also head of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania.

Earlier this month a seven-member Holy Synod unanimously elected Joan, the metropolitan of Korca, in the post left vacant after Anastasios' death in January.

Albania’s religious leaders, top officials and politicians, Orthodox religious leaders from around the world, a Vatican representative and Greece's ministers of defense and social cohesion attended the ceremony. Hundreds of faithful packed into the cathedral.

Bishop Nikolla of Apollonia and Fieri, speaking on behalf of the Holy Synod, said that Joan would continue “preserving religious harmony and co-existence,” like his predecessor Anastasios, who resuscitated the country’s church after the fall of communism.

“Albania’s Autocephalous Orthodox Church wants to live in peace with all,” said Archbishop Joan, adding that religious co-existence but should be “defended and further enriched.”

Albanian President Bajram Begaj said the ceremony sends a message “that transcends borders of faith and invites all goodwill citizens in building up a fairer, more humble, more united and fraternal society."

The Orthodox Church of Albania was declared autocephalous in September in 1922, ending its subordination to the archbishopric of Ohrid and the patriarchate of Constantinople.

Archbishop Joan, 69, born Fatmir Pelushi, grew up in a Muslim family. He was secretly baptized in 1979 by priest Kosmas Kyrios, who later became the bishop of Apollonia.

All forms of religion were banned in Albania for 23 years starting in 1967, when the country was completely isolated from the outside world and the communists seized the property of Islamic, Orthodox, Catholic and other churches.

Joan, whose family was persecuted by the communists, joined a small underground church group. He worked at the Tirana Psychiatric Hospital until 1990, when the communist leadership collapsed. In 1990, he fled to Italy and then to Boston, where he studied at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology.

In 1992, when Albanians fled the poor country en masse, Joan contacted Archbishop Anastasios offering his return to contribute to the church’s reconstruction. He is the sixth head of the Albanian Orthodox Church.

According to the 2023 census, Orthodox believers in Albania make up about 7% of the 2.4 million population, although the church says the actual number is higher. The tiny Western Balkan country is about half Muslim, followed by the Catholics, Orthodox and other religious communities and nonbelievers, who all live in harmony.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Albanian President Bajram Begaj delivers a speech during an inauguration ceremony of Albania's Orthodox Church for its new Archbishop Joan, at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

A general view of an inauguration ceremony of Albania's Orthodox Church for its new Archbishop Joan, at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

An Orthodox priest arrives to attend an inauguration ceremony of Albania's Orthodox Church for its new Archbishop Joan, at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

A general view of an inauguration ceremony of Albania's Orthodox Church for its new Archbishop Joan, at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Priests attend an inauguration ceremony of Albania's Orthodox Church for its new Archbishop Joan, at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

People gather during an inauguration ceremony of Albania's Orthodox Church for its new Archbishop Joan, outside the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Newly appointed Orthodox Archbishop Joan of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, center, attends an inauguration ceremony at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Newly appointed Orthodox Archbishop Joan of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, center, prays during an inauguration ceremony at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Newly appointed Orthodox Archbishop Joan of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, center, prays during an inauguration ceremony at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

Newly appointed Orthodox Archbishop Joan of Tirana, Durres and All Albania, looks on during an inauguration ceremony at the Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, March 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Vlasov Sulaj)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, told senators Tuesday that he understands he is an unknown and unconventional nominee — but that the U.S. is facing unconventional and unprecedented threats and he is ready to serve in its defense.

At his confirmation hearing to become the top U.S. military officer, he said he would be candid in his advice to Trump and vowed to be apolitical. While Caine stopped short of criticizing top leaders for using a Signal chat to discuss plans for an attack against Yemen's Houthi rebels, he told senators during questioning that he always communicates in proper channels.

Caine, who was not part of the Signal chat and deferred on many questions about the controversy, said that if he found himself in situations where classified information was being posted inappropriately, he "would weigh in and stop it.”

Caine was nominated after Trump fired Gen. CQ Brown Jr., seen by the administration as endorsing diversity, equity and inclusion contrary to the president's agenda. He had been the second Black general to serve as chairman. The firing raised concerns among Democrats that Trump was politicizing the military, and many of the questions Caine faced before the Senate Armed Services Committee centered on that topic.

He was asked how he would react if ordered to direct the military to do something potentially illegal, such as being used against civilians in domestic law enforcement. “Will you stand up and push back?” Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin asked.

“Senator, I think that's the duty and the job that I have, yes,” Caine said.

Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican chairman of the committee, said he's convinced Caine sees the job as nonpartisan.

"We can argue politics up here on the dais, but I expect General Caine to stay out of it no matter the subject,” he said.

Caine sought to assure lawmakers of his approach to readying the nation for future wars. He said his military experience, which included seeing fellow service members die, has shaped his views on when to use force and “the importance of carefully considering the use of that force."

Caine also for the first time publicly denied that he had ever worn a MAGA hat. Trump has told a story about Caine saying he wore one of the hats when the two met some years ago.

When asked during the hearing, Caine said, “For 34 years, I’ve upheld my oath of office and my commitment to my commission. And I have never worn any political merchandise.”

He said Trump must have been “talking about somebody else.”

Caine was asked about senior national security officials using a Signal chat to communicate about airstrikes against Yemen's Houthis. In the chat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted tactical details before the operation had launched. The chat mistakenly included a journalist but did not involve the acting head of the Joint Chiefs, Adm. Christopher Grady.

“From what I understand of that chat, it was a partisan political chat, and so the joint force should not have been represented,” Caine said.

Caine declined to comment on whether senior U.S. officials who were in the chat — among them the vice president, defense secretary, secretary of state and national security adviser — should have discussed battle plans on an unclassified, commercial application.

“What I will say is we should always preserve the element of surprise,” Caine said.

Caine also was asked how he would prevent the military from getting drawn into domestic law enforcement missions, such as helping detain migrants in the country illegally.

The military has supported Trump's effort to increase deportations and border protection by conducting flights and surveillance or bolstering sections of the border wall. Federal troops are prohibited by the Posse Comitatus Act from conducting civilian law enforcement except in some emergencies.

“I think that there's strong systems in place, legal systems in place that prevent any missteps there,” Caine said. He said he has “no reason to believe at this point that those are insufficient in any way.”

While Caine would be the military’s top uniformed officer, his chief duty would be serving as the president’s primary military adviser.

That role “starts with being a good example from the top and making sure that we are nonpartisan and apolitical and speaking the truth to power," Caine said.

During his first term, Trump's relationship with then-Chairman Gen. Mark Milley soured as Milley pushed back and took steps to try to prevent what he saw as an attempt to politicize the office. He would remind military service members that they took an oath to the Constitution, not to a president.

Within hours of Trump's inauguration in January, Milley's portrait as chairman of the Joint Chiefs was removed from the Pentagon. Milley's security clearance and security detail also was revoked.

Because he retired in December, Caine would need to be sworn back into active duty. That would take place after he is confirmed, and then he would be promoted to four-star general, said a former U.S. official who has helped Caine prepare for the confirmation process and spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details on Caine’s nomination.

Caine is a decorated F-16 combat pilot who served in leadership in multiple special operations commands, in some of the Pentagon’s most classified programs and in the CIA.

While Caine does not meet prerequisites for the job set out in a 1986 law — such as being a combatant commander or service chief — those requirements can be waived by the president and lawmakers noted his decades of service.

Caine has more than 2,800 flying hours in the F-16 and has earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster, among other awards.

Associated Press writer Matt Brown in Washington contributed to this report.

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Mi., left, listens to testimony from Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), during Caine's confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), shakes hands with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Mi., left, following a confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Lt. Gen. John Caine (Retired), testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to examine his nomination to be promoted to general and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Department of Defense, Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

This image provided by the U.S. Air Force shows Lt. Gen. Dan Caine. (U.S. Air Force via AP)