environment" "
“The Albanian delegation taking part in the Fourth Consultation of the European Episcopal Conferences on ‘Work and responsibility for the Creation’ is in fact a representation from the Justice and Peace Commission of the diocese of Scutari”: explained Archbishop Angelo Massafra of Scutari and president of the Albanian bishops, in an interview with SirEurope. “In our country we unfortunately don’t yet have a national organization that deals with the issue, even though we hope to be able to establish one in the near future. In the diocese of Scutari – continues Msgr. Massafra – a Commission called ‘Justice, peace and safeguard of the creation’ is however at work and has in recent times proposed various measures for heightening awareness of environmental issues, especially among the young. For example we proposed such symbolic gestures as the cleaning up of the lake of Scutari and other environments of naturalistic or scenic beauty”. The archbishop points out, however, that the priorities in Albania are of a more urgent kind: “To take the work of the Justice and Peace Commission, its first priority is that of repacification and reconciliation. One of the most urgent areas in need of aid and assistance is that of families that have had problems in the past and that risk reprisals of various kind: of political type, or for criminal activities and so on. Another sphere in need of urgent national commitment is undoubtedly that of employment. In this case too continues Msgr. Massafra we are just at the beginning. The first measures implemented by the Church include courses run in liaison with Caritas for the training of medical personnel for the domiciliary service to the sick and the elderly. The programme has already been run for a couple of years now and some scores of young people have been trained with good results and have already entered into service. The problem is how to find the necessary financial resources to pay these young people who perform a domiciliary therapeutic service to persons who are mainly very poor. The vocational training courses run by Salesian men and women religious have also proved very useful and are much appreciated in Albania. In this case too the projects in question can only function thanks to foreign aid. Among the ideas we would like to see put into practice is that of holding courses for physiotherapists, a very important profession for our territory”.
