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Albania's lesson in Muslim-Christian tolerance

AFP
By Briseida Mema and Calin Neacsu
September 20, 2014


People gather in front of the church of the village of Derven, Albania on September 19, 2014 (AFP Photo/Gent Shkullaku)

Malbardh (Albania) (AFP) - Perched up an Albanian mountain, the mediaeval church of St Nicolas was rebuilt from a crumbling ruin with help from local Muslims after the fall of communism, a symbol of the religious tolerance Pope Francis will be celebrating here on Sunday.

Majority Muslims and the tiny Catholic and Orthodox communities all faced persecution under the ruthless regime of Enver Hoxha, who in 1967 declared Albania the first atheist country in the world.

Countless churches and mosques were destroyed at the time -- as many as 1,820 Catholic and Orthodox places of worship according to the Vatican -- with scores of clergymen executed or dying in detention.

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Muslims owe Catholics protection

To get to the church, visitors have to take an off-road car, donkey or pilgrim's stick up a steep, winding path high above the village.

Surrounded by his Muslim friends, Nikoll Gjini, a Catholic in his 60s, gestures proudly towards the new church, shaded by majestic oak trees.

"Without their help with building materials and construction work, we would have never been able to rebuild it," said the former chemical industry worker.

At the tiny church, a priest celebrates mass only on major holidays such as Christmas and Easter, but the "holy place" is vital for the small community.


The Muslim guard of the church of the village of Derven, Kujtim Balloku, walks in front of the church on September 19, 2014 (AFP Photo/Gent Shkullaku)

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"The pope's visit is a reason for pride for all Albanians, regardless of their religion," said Malbardh's 42-year-old mayor Agim Lika.

"As a small country, with a tiny Catholic community, we are delighted to be chosen by the pope for his first visit in Europe."

Locals in Malbardh have long worked to keep their different communities close, and believe the Muslim majority owes protection to the minority Catholics.

"In our village, when someone gets married, according to tradition there must be witnesses from both faiths," said Hajdar, a former railroad worker with a cigarette poking out from under a nicotine-stained white moustache.

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Tirana (Albania), 21/09/2014 - Pope Francis (R) waves to the faithful as he arrives for the Holy Mass in Tirana, Albania, 21 September 2014.  The photographs above him show Albanian priests who were killed during the former communist regime.  Pope Francis arrived in Albania for a one-day visit and was to address religious co-existence between the Catholic minority and Muslim majority in the former communist nation.  The Pope chose Albania for his first Europ0ean visit to honour the victims of 'a terrible atheistic regime' and show how Muslims and Christians can live peacefully side by side. (Papa) EFE/EPA/CIRO FUSCO/POOL

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