Pope Francis' trip to Albania and Prison Ministry Conference - Perspectives for September 22, 2014
1,844 views · Published 22 September 2014 · 5:00 · Indexed 4 November 2026
Channel: Salt + Light Media · 2014 · People & Blogs
We begin our coverage in Albania, where Pope Francis traveled yesterday for his first apostolic trip in Europe, outside of Italy. After meeting with Bujar Nishani, President of the Republic and various civil authorities, the Holy Father celebrated an open-air Mass at Mother Teresa Square. The Mass was attended by an estimated 300,000 people, many of them Muslims. In his homily, Pope Francis recalled that Albania is a land of martyrs. It is a land that has suffered harsh persecution against Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims. He told Albanians that QUOTE “the eagle, depicted in your nation’s flag, calls to mind hope, and the need to always place your trust in God, who does not lead us astray and who is ever at our side, especially in moments of difficulty.” At the end of the day, the Holy Father celebrated evening prayer with a group of priests, seminarians, members of religious congregations and members of many lay movements. Before vespers, Pope Francis heard testimonies from Fr. Ernesto Simoni Troshani and from Sr. Maria Kaleta, both witnesses of the persecution suffered under communist rule. Both testimonies visibly moved the Holy Father. After the prayer, the pope made a last minute change: “I had prepared several words to tell you, and I will give it to the Archbishop so that he may send you the translation once it is done. But now, I would like to tell you something else.” The Holy Father proceeded to say that we are able to survive so much tribulation because God is the God of Consolation. He said QUOTE: “God consoles us in all our tribulations, so that we may also console those who find themselves in any form of affliction, with the consolation with which we ourselves have been consoled, by God.” Albania is predominantly a Muslim country, with Catholics making up about 16 percent of the 3 million inhabitants. Pope Francis is the second pope to visit the country. Pope St. John Paul II visited in 1993. Yesterday’s apostolic visit highlights the fact that Albania is an example of inter-religious cooperation and gives hopeful evidence that Muslims and Christians can live in harmony. And this past weekend, in Quebec, there was a meeting, a first of its kind. Cheridan Sanders was at the Catholic Connections in Restorative Justice Conference in Beaupre, QC and brings us the details.
