Risen from ashes

“The Church has risen from the ashes”, Msgr. Rrok Mirdita, archbishop of Tirana-Durrës and President of the Albanian Bishops’ Conference (CEA), thus described the current situation of the Catholic community in the Country. For 50 years the Church suffered ferocious Communist repression. In its drive to uproot faith from the Country, the Communist regime arrested, tortured and killed priests and lay Catholics, tore down churches and destroyed sacred icons, set to fire sacred texts and prohibited all forms of worship. Today the Albanian Church is experiencing a season of renewed evangelization to the light of the Second Vatican Council. This vitality was perceived in the decisions taken during the CEA autumn plenary meeting (Tirana, November 9-10); which includes the appointment – for the first time in history – of the bishops’ spokesman, Father Gjergj Meta, serving in the archdiocese of Tirana-Durres. Upon the assembly’s conclusion, SIR Europe asked Msgr. Mirdita to put in the picture the suffering undergone by the Albanian Church and her expectations for the future. The 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall was celebrated November 9. What did this event represent for Albania? “The Fall of the Wall of Berlin holds special significance for Albania. Since then, the Iron Curtain – the most impervious – that caused the Country’s isolation from the rest of the world for over half a century, started to crumble. As was the case of German citizens, Albanians traversed the wall of isolation to the risk of their own lives. In Albania the Iron Curtain caused not only people’s isolation. Indeed, it marked their separation from world development, and also from the former Communist bloc. Moreover, while the latter had been granted a certain degree of free movement, the Albanian regime remained forcefully repressive. Albania experienced isolation within further isolation. For this reason, the fall of the Wall was a very significant moment for the Country”.Albania’s Catholic community was persecuted for fifty years… “During the fierce Communist repression, the Catholic Church was persecuted to the point of being completely annulled. Every trace of it disappeared. Unfortunately, from the institutional angle, the regime obtained what it truly wanted. Indeed, the Catholic clergy, almost in its entirety, disappeared from the Country. A large number of priests were shot dead and many more were deported to forced labor camps and prisons. Those who survived bore serious consequences. It’s a miracle that the Church managed to overcome the regime’s systematic and savage persecution, whose final objective was the elimination of all Christian symbols, and Catholic culture itself. The priests were persecuted and shot dead only for having studied in the best European universities and were endowed with an inner discipline that left no space for compromise with evil. Even though all religious communities suffered during the regime, Hoxha, the Albanian dictator, pointed against the Catholic Church in particular. During a public address delivered February 6 1967, he said that the Catholic clergy created the most serious problems. The clergy, he said, had been well trained and were very committed in their mission. Nonetheless, Albanian priests did not allow themselves to be defeated by the repression”.The visit of John Paul II in 1993 marked a moment of radical change for the local Church…“The apostolic visit was very meaningful for Albania’s barely existent Church. The Holy Father’s presence conveyed great encouragement. It represented the first step for the Catholic hierarchy restoration after almost half a century. The visit of John Paul II marked the beginning of a new era in the history of the Albanian Church. Since 1993 there have been major changes within the Church and across Albanian society. The Church rose from the ashes and today she enjoys full material and spiritual support. With the help of the sister Churches and the various donators – the Italian Bishops’ Conference in particular – the material and spiritual infrastructures were restored to unprecedented levels, also thanks to the contribution of missionaries, priests, religious, and lay faithful. The rebirth experienced by the Church in recent years is visible across society. Indeed, after having been crushed down by the dictatorship, the Church gained renewed vitality, which exceeded by far all our expectations”.What are the major challenges for the Albanian church today? “As in the rest of Europe, the Church in Albania is experiencing the challenges of contemporary society. One of these is the “dictatorship of relativism”, as Benedict XVI said at the beginning of his pontificate. Half a century of Communism wiped out all values. Notably, Albania’s gateway to the worst Western phenomena exposed the “non negotiable values” to full-scale attacks. Thus, the Albanian Church is devoted to perform it utmost committment in the formation of consciences, often allured by materialism, by the yearning to conform to destructive models irrespective of “values”. In order to accomplish this goal, the Church ought to perform her religious witness in words and action, on a daily basis. Another problem that involves the entire Church, is the lack of vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. The dictatorship caused a vocation vacuum. A major contribution was given by missionaries who arrived from other sister Churches. However, the Church’s future is the main question, along with permanent pastoral structures for the local clergy. While on the one side the current structures represent a richness for the Church, on the other there is the problem of continuity and maintenance. We are encouraging the faithful to take action and contribute to the preservation of these structures also with financial contributions. However, donations from abroad have been diverted to more needy realities, causing serious problems. Another important field that we feel involved in is the relationship with the media, that influence people’s lifestyles. We long for having our own media channels in contemporary culture. Shortage of expert Catholic media officers and of financial means remain our drawbacks. We also need to meet the challenge of lay faithful capable of transmitting and living the content of the social doctrine of the Church in order to participate, as Christians, to the political and social life of the Country”.How is the Church contributing to the Country’s development? “One of the fields that the Catholic Church in Albania is engaged in is education. In recent years the role of the Church has been very important. Catholic education in Albania involves all levels of school establishment, from kindergarten to university. Most of our Catholic education establishments are run by religious, and are held in high esteem also by the country’s political and cultural leadership. Catholic schools are attended by a high number of pupils. Families have faith regardless of religion. University pastoral care also holds special significance in the realm of education, notably, in large cities such as Tirana, Scutari and Durazzo. University students nourish a yearning for God and for the Church. Poverty remains a challenge that we seek to address in conjunction with the national Caritas and the various dioceses. Also though Caritas we have been able to establish ambulatories in the outskirts of Albania, experiencing major toils”.In 2009 Albania became NATO member country and a candidate for EU adhesion. What are the major expectations to this regard? “One of the first consequences after NATO entrance was the influx of foreign and Albanian investors from the diaspora. This had a political bearing and contributed to wiping off prejudice against the situation of Albania. A large number of Albanians who had drawn away for economic reasons now consider the Country much safer. NATO membership entails membership to a community of peoples. This doesn’t mean that all problems have been solved. Many do still remain. However, Albania is thus closer to Europe, which we feel a cultural and geographic part of, although institutional steps still need to be accomplished. Expectations include greater economic and cultural development; the free circulation of people without visas, viewed as a barrier by Albanian citizens. We are also aware of negative phenomena that may spread and affect certain structures like the family. The family currently enjoys stability, cohesion, and love for life, also thanks to a society that has a strong family tradition. The Church deems it important to be present to this regard to defend the faithful from negative influences like de facto unions, homosexual unions, abortions, divorce, etc. Nonetheless, European integration is a dream for all Albanians, and certainly also for the Church”. What are the prospects and hopes for Church and for society? “I will refer the Second Vatican Council: «The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts» (Gaudium et Spes 1). Day by day we perform our devotion to living the love for the Lord and for people in Albania. The Church is committed to proclaim the word of the Gospel on a daily basis, along with the dialogue with cultures, and notably, inter-religious dialogue. The latter is an important perspective, since the reality of Albania is strongly multi-religious. I wish to recall the words pronounced by John Paul II on April 25 1993, in Scanderberg square in Tirana. «True religious freedom shuns the temptations of intolerance and sectarianism and promotes attitudes of respectful and constructive dialogue. The Albanian people – I am pleased to acknowledge- is exemplary to this regard. The three major religious communities entertain relations based on mutual esteem and cordial cooperation. May you perservere in this behaviour, dearest brothers and sisters! You will be worthy recipients of solidarity and peace inside your homeland and across the entire tormented Balkan region». The religious representatives in Albania are creating a fruitful and tireless dialogue. I confide that the important dialogue with the political figures in the Country will contribute to the creation of a better, fairer and more human society”.