by Fr.Gjergj Meta*/
“A” is for Albania! Certainly the alphabetical order of the European countries is not the reason for the choice made by Pope Francis, yet Albania is the first European country which he plans to visit on September 21, 2014. Fr. Federico Lombardi commented on the news about the upcoming papal visit in Albania, saying:
“Beautiful news. Pope chooses Albania, he wants to meet the outskirts, the poor, and contribute to interreligious and ecumenical dialogue”
A person such as Bergoglio, continuing what he had had done as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, positioned as the “Pope of the suburbs”. Hence he could not but enter Europe through Albania. Albania is now the Pope’s door to Europe as we Albanians have been waiting for Europe’s doors to be opened to us.
The Pope of the outskirts chooses a peripheral country to encourage and give hope to Albanians and this hope is one which does not disappoint, because it comes from the Lord. Still today, after so many years of freedom from the ideological communist regime, we are a country that needs to powerfully walk toward the development, the good and the welfare of the country. Though we are a peripheral country, we still have something to give to Europe.
The Pope will come to meet the Albanian Catholic Church. I say Albanian, because I am sure that many people will come not only from Albania but also from all Albanian regions to see the successor of Peter. Yes, he is the successor of Peter and the spiritual relationship with the Catholic faithful is an organic relationship…I would even say vital, like the strong vitality of our faith in our lives.
Pope Francis said that he comes “to confirm the Church of Albania in the faith” and he quotes the words of Jesus addressed to Peter, when He said, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” Lk. 22:31-32
At a time when the Albanian Catholics, like many other Albanians, fell through a big sift, that of communist atheism ideology, their belief was threatened by an unprecedented and brutal regime. So we do need someone to Confirm us. Pope Saint John Paul II did that in 1993 and now, Pope Francis is doing it again. Nobody should be afraid of this visit, because it is not a visit to show power but a visit to encourage a nation. The situation of faith is not any easier today, especially at a time when Albania is experiencing the consequences of a destructive past ideology. Today we need faith for the future, a hope which does not disappoint. The long journey needs good friends to encourage us. Catholics in Albania are a vibrant part of the nation and were the same people who suffered along with the rest of the population, a long Calvary. Therefore the spiritual dimension of this visit lies in its foundation as any other Papal visit in any other place. The strengthening of the faith of a man or a group of people not only does not threat others, but turns into an added value for coexistence between people of different faiths.
Moving towards the outskirts, the Pope seeks to turn the attention of “centers”, even to say that the true centers are those peripheries where human suffering can be touched by hand and where the wounds are not dried yet.
Albania is certainly going through serious social problems such as poverty, unemployment, smuggling, domestic violence, a widening gap between the rich and the poor (a conflict of extreme political and economic factors). All these things make the country seem for some people to be an annoying, peevish and unworthy place listed amongst the European countries, while for the Pope it is the subject of love and care. In this journey of ours he becomes and is a friend and a father to us.
The Pope’s visit to the Holy Land is still fresh in our memory. The gestures and fruits of that visit are numerous. In a land where different ethnicities and religions dwell together, messages of peace and dialogue were given and received. This dialogue also continued in the Vatican, where various religious and political leaders met and prayed together. I am convinced that the Holy Father is interested in our pluralistic reality, where different religions coexist, not only to encourage, but also to promote this coexistence. Together, we as Muslims and Christians can make the best efforts possible, along with all other factors, to have a better Albania, in the name of God and the values that we represent. The Pope’s visit in the midst of our journey cannot be anything other than an expression of his love and encouragement so that we don’t get tired and never cease seeking what is good, true, and beautiful.
*Fr. Gjergj Meta is a catholic priest from the diocese of Durrës, Albania. He is the responsible person for the media on the upcoming Papal Visit to Albania.( June 19, 2014)