Pope Francis in Albania

The Pope met with two children, one from northern and one from southern Albania, a symbolic greeting for the Holy Father.

The Prime Minister handed him over a symbolic gift from the Albanian government, a cup with Albanian soil.

After Pope Francis met with the Albanian Prime Minister, who received him at the Tirana Airport, the papal escort headed to the
Presidential Palace, where the Pope met with the Albanian President, Bujar
Nishani.

The Pope left his first impressions on the Presidential Book, and gave a joint press conference with President Nishani.

Nishani expressed his special emotions for the Pope’s visit in Albania, by underlining that the respect between religious communities in our country has always been transmitted between generations.

The Holy Father expressed his joy for this visit and called Albania a noble land of heroes and martyrs.

By emphasizing that religious freedom is basic for social and economic development of a country, Pope Francis valued the co-existence between Albanian religious communities as a precious value for peace.

“This is a value that needs to be preserved and developed every day. I hope that Albania will keep staying on this path and be an example to other countries”, the Pope said. The Holy Father thanked the Albanian people for the warm welcome. “I pray God to bless Albania”, Pope Francis said.

After leaving the Presidence, the Pope greeted thousands of believers from his open car, and stopped at the “Mother Theresa” square where he celebrated a holy mass.

The Pope showed special care for diseased people, and some of them stayed at the Altar, together with young members from the dioceses of Kosovo and Montenegro, high representatives from the Catholic Church, high-rank officials, diplomatic representatives, devotees and people who have supported the church in these years.

At 13:30 the Pope met with Albanian bishops and the papal retinue at the Apostolic Nunciature, where the Holy Father met with the Minister of Interior, Saimir Tahiri, and a group of collaborators from the Ministry of Interior.

Valuing the religious harmony in Albania, the Pope expressed his desire to personally meet with the representatives of the religious communities in our country, the leaders of the Muslim, Orthodox, Bektashi, Catholic and Protestant religions at the Catholic University, “Zoja e Keshillit te Mire”.

The evening prayer was held at the Cathedral of Tirana, at 17:00, with the presence of 800 priests, nuns and various representatives.

The Pope’s last stop was Bubq, where he met children of the “Bretania Center” and a group of representatives from the Church’s charities in Albania.

Before leaving Albania, the Pope blessed the Prime Minister’s newborn son at the Tirana airport.

“Youth, the future of this country”

In presence of thousands of believers, the Pope celebrated the mass at the Mother Theresa square.

“Peace in this house. Peace is not just a greeting, but also a gift. Today, in this square dedicated to the daughter of these lands, Mother Theresa, I want to repeat this greeting. Peace in you homes, your hearts and your nation”, the Pope declared.

After blessing the Albanian people, whom he considered as among the oldest people in the light of gospel, the Pope commemorated 40 martyrs of the Catholic Church whose portraits were hanging in Tirana’s main boulevard.

The Pope reminded the Albanian people of the symbol in their flag, the eagle that always returns to its nest to fly high.

“I hope that the flag that we see in your country’s flag reminds you of the hope to support your trust on God, who never disappoints but stays always besides us, especially in difficult times. I came to thank you today for your resistance and to support you and raise hope within you. The eagle does not forget its nest, but always flies high”, Pope Francis declared.

He addressed to the Albanian youth by reminding them they are the future of this country.

The Pope was received at the altar built by the Mayor of Tirana, who gave him the Key of the City, a symbol that honors the friends of this capital.

Pope meets Interior Minister. Tahiri: “The Holy Father inspired us”

The Pope met with the Albanian Minister of Interior, Saimir Tahiri, together with a group of collaborators at the Ministry of Interior. Minister Saimir Tahiri wrote on Facebook:

“The meeting with the Pope was extraordinary, together with his encouragement for the fight against drugs. I had the chance to inform him about our results in the fight against drugs. His words will be memorable: ‘Let’s save the children of the world from drugs”.

Pope meets religious leaders

At the Catholic University “Zoja e Keshillit te Mire”, the Pope met with the leaders of other religions in Albania.

“The martyrs of Albania preferred tortures rather than denying religion. I thank you for the fraternity and cooperation between you. The real trust is a source of peace. Discriminating on the name of God is inhuman”, the Pope declared.

In this meeting there were representatives from the Muslim, Orthodox, Bektashi, Catholic and Protestant communities in Albania.

Pope celebrated evening Mass

At 17:00, the Pope celebrated the evening Mass at the Tirana Cathedral. After hearing the painful stories of two church representatives who survived the communist regime, the Holy Father changed his protocol. In this meeting there were 800 priests, nuns, and representatives from the church and secular movements in Albania. The Pope was followed by many devotees and citizens of various religions.

Pope: I pray for Albania

The Holy Father visited the “Betania Center” in Bubq, where he heard two members of this center and then held a speech in which he said he will pray for Albania and its people.

The Pope left Albania at 19:49. In a special moment, Linda Rama, the wife of the Albanian Prime Minister, arrived at the VIP room with their newborn son, Zaho Rama, for the blessing of the Holy Father.

After this moment, the Prime Minister and church representatives greeted the Pope as his airplane left our country.

Rama: Inter-religious co-existence, Albania’s treasure

After the Pope left Albania, the Prime Minister held a press conference, in which he valued that the inter-religious co-existence is a treasury for Albania. He expressed pride for what had been realized in this historic day for Albania.

“We all made possible for this to be an extraordinary day”, Rama declared.

The government leader underlined that co-existence between religious is very important, and it attracted the attention of all the world.

“Ths visit of a religious world leader in Albania, a world flag-holder in the fight against prejudice, and his reception with such enthusiasm by Christians and Muslims in Albania, is a real miracle”, Rama underlined.

Rama declared that it was difficult to imagine such a reception in a country like ours, where religion was banned and its representatives were prosecuted and killed.

Rama valued that the image of religious leaders from other communities in Albania for receiving the Pope showed the treasury of this country.

“The Albanian miracle is that of having a huge treasury, inter-religious co-existence”, Rama declared.
 

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