The Pope used his visit to Albania yesterday to call for tolerance, rebuking those who use religion as an excuse for violence.
He told diplomats at the Presidential Palace on his day-trip to the capital, Tirana: "May no one use religion as a pretext for actions against human dignity and against the fundamental rights of every man and woman, above all, the right to life and the right of everyone to religious freedom."
Francis said that the former communist Balkan nation was now a model of "peaceful and fruitful coexistence between believers of different religions".
In a similar vein he told faith leaders gathered at the Catholic University of Tirana: “Authentic religion is a source of peace and not of violence ... To kill in the name of God is a grave sacrilege. To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman.”
Catholics make up around 15 per cent of Albania's population of 3.5 million. Around 70 per cent are nominally Muslim and 15 per cent are Orthodox Christian, although no new figures have been compiled since a 24-year ban on religious practices was lifted in 1991 following the end of 47 years of communist rule.
Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha, who ruled for 40 years, declared Albania the first atheist state and permitted the persecution of Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims. Hundreds of clergymen were executed or sent to labour camps and around a thousand churches were razed.
Later in his one-day visit, Pope Francis celebrated Mass the Square dedicated to Blessed Teresa, Albania's most celebrated nun. "Recalling the decades of atrocious suffering and harsh persecutions against Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims, we can say that Albania was a land of martyrs … demonstrations of great courage and constancy in the profession of the faith are not lacking … The Lord was close to you, dear brothers and sisters, to sustain you," he told the crowds in his homily.
Later in the day, addressing clergy and Religious, Francis wept publicly as a Catholic priest told how he was tortured and imprisoned for 18 years under the communist regime because he refused to give up his faith.
At Vespers in Tirana’s St Paul’s Cathedral the Pope listened to 84-year-old Fr Ernest Simoni recount how he was subjected to beatings and forced labour by the authorities who wanted him to renounce his priesthood.
The Franciscan told thousands gathered in the cathedral: "They tightened the chains on my wrists until they were so narrow that I fell over almost dead."
The speaker who introduced him added: "Holy Father, in Albania so many priests have died for their loyalty to the Pope."
With tears running down his face, Francis held the priest in a long embrace.
The Pope also heard the story of an 86-year-old Stigmatine nun Sr Maria Caleta, who had risked her life to carry out a secret baptism after the regime closed down their convent.
She said: "Sometimes I wasn’t sure if they were spying on me but I continued to defend the faith."
When Francis came to preach he set aside his prepared homily about vocations and evangelisation to pay tribute to the country’s persecuted Catholics who had “survive[d] so much trouble”, adding: "Today we have touched the martyrs.”
Top: Pope embraces Fr Ernest Simoni. Above: Celebrating Mass in a rainy Mother Teresa Square. Photo: CNS
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