At 5:00pm local time this afternoon (11:00am EST), in the Clementine Hall at the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father, Pope Francis received in audience a group of the faithful who are participating in a Pilgrimage from Albania. They have gathered in Rome to mark the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the death of Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg, an Albanian national hero.
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am pleased to give you my special welcome on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the death of your national hero, Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg. I thank Madamme Ambassador for her kind words. I address a grateful greeting to those present and a thought to all the Albanians, in your homeland and in other parts of the world who, in the name of the ancient bond of friendship and habit of relationships, have always looked fondly toward the See of Peter. And in this sense I like to remember that 50 years ago, Saint Paul VI wanted to receive a representation of Albanians.
Albania, a land of ancient and glorious history, is an integral part of Europe and through its noblest and most lively traditions, documents the origins of its own civilization. Today we remember and celebrate Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg, a heroic son of a strong and generous people, who courageously defended the spiritual values and the Christian name, to the point of deserving the title of Athleta Christi, who forged the Albanian cultural identity with his deeds, becoming the undisputed symbol of cohesion and national unity, and interpreted in the highest degree the values of scrupulous loyalty to the commitments freely undertaken.
The specific relevance of the figure and the work of the Castriota is well represented by your flag, with the double-headed eagle on a red background, which follows the hero's crest. Few are the times in history when a single individual has incarnated so clearly and so vastly the virtues of a people, to the point that it is difficult to understand their spirit without dwelling on the principles and values that animated that individual character.
After the hero's death and the invasion of Albania, many Albanians preferred to emigrate and many settled in Italy, in the centre of the peninsula and in the south, especially in Calabria and Sicily, giving rise to the Albanian ecclesiastical Circumscriptions of Lungro, Piana for the Albanians and Grottaferrata.
The presence today at this meeting of a group of arberesh, that is the Italo-Albanians, with their traditions and linguistic expressions handed down for centuries, brings us in our imaginations to the atmosphere of Albania by Skanderbeg, and confirms that this Albanian hero remains a valid bridge for the maintenance of fruitful bonds of the arberesh with their homeland.
Given the particular significance of the figure and the overall work accomplished by Giorgio Skanderbeg, it is clear that Albania wanted to proclaim this present year National Year of Skanderbeg.
I sincerely hope that this occasion is not limited to the celebration of the glory of the past deeds, but that it is also a favourable opportunity for Albania to secure a renewed commitment by everyone, institutions and citizens, in favour of authentic and balanced development, so that younger generations are not forced into a position of choosing emigration, thereby weakening the country of the strengths and skills essential to its human and civil growth.
The common action of all in view of this goal will prove to be the best way to embody in the present time the love of your homeland, which animated Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg. By interpreting the character and traditions of your people in the best way, he has validly expressed albanesity, a term used by the nineteenth-century writer Pashko Vasa to indicate the spiritual identity that united all the Albanians beyond the distinctions of religious character. This conviction gave an impetus to Albania in the peaceful coexistence of people belonging to different religions which over time became collaboration and fraternity. We see an example here.
As I had the opportunity to say on the occasion of my visit to Albania, the climate of respect and mutual trust between Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims is a precious asset for the country and acquires special importance in our time (Meeting with the Authorities, 21 September 2014). It shows that the peaceful coexistence of citizens belonging to different religions is a concretely practicable way that produces harmony and frees the best strengths and creativity of an entire people, transforming simple coexistence into true collaboration and brotherhood. The good disposition to consider differences as an occasion for dialogue and mutual esteem and knowledge also favours the development of authentic spiritual paths and becomes a valid example to which we look with real interest in building lasting peace, based on respect for the dignity of the human person.
In grateful memory of the holy martyrs who bore witness to their faith by paying the price of giving their lives, as well as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, I am pleased to ask the Lord to bless all of you present here. May God bless your family and all the Albanian people. Please do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
(Original text in Italian)
Greetings of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to pilgrims from Albania
Dear brothers and sisters,
I am pleased to give you my special welcome on the occasion of the 550th anniversary of the death of your national hero, Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg. I thank Madamme Ambassador for her kind words. I address a grateful greeting to those present and a thought to all the Albanians, in your homeland and in other parts of the world who, in the name of the ancient bond of friendship and habit of relationships, have always looked fondly toward the See of Peter. And in this sense I like to remember that 50 years ago, Saint Paul VI wanted to receive a representation of Albanians.
Albania, a land of ancient and glorious history, is an integral part of Europe and through its noblest and most lively traditions, documents the origins of its own civilization. Today we remember and celebrate Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg, a heroic son of a strong and generous people, who courageously defended the spiritual values and the Christian name, to the point of deserving the title of Athleta Christi, who forged the Albanian cultural identity with his deeds, becoming the undisputed symbol of cohesion and national unity, and interpreted in the highest degree the values of scrupulous loyalty to the commitments freely undertaken.
The specific relevance of the figure and the work of the Castriota is well represented by your flag, with the double-headed eagle on a red background, which follows the hero's crest. Few are the times in history when a single individual has incarnated so clearly and so vastly the virtues of a people, to the point that it is difficult to understand their spirit without dwelling on the principles and values that animated that individual character.
After the hero's death and the invasion of Albania, many Albanians preferred to emigrate and many settled in Italy, in the centre of the peninsula and in the south, especially in Calabria and Sicily, giving rise to the Albanian ecclesiastical Circumscriptions of Lungro, Piana for the Albanians and Grottaferrata.
The presence today at this meeting of a group of arberesh, that is the Italo-Albanians, with their traditions and linguistic expressions handed down for centuries, brings us in our imaginations to the atmosphere of Albania by Skanderbeg, and confirms that this Albanian hero remains a valid bridge for the maintenance of fruitful bonds of the arberesh with their homeland.
Given the particular significance of the figure and the overall work accomplished by Giorgio Skanderbeg, it is clear that Albania wanted to proclaim this present year National Year of Skanderbeg.
I sincerely hope that this occasion is not limited to the celebration of the glory of the past deeds, but that it is also a favourable opportunity for Albania to secure a renewed commitment by everyone, institutions and citizens, in favour of authentic and balanced development, so that younger generations are not forced into a position of choosing emigration, thereby weakening the country of the strengths and skills essential to its human and civil growth.
The common action of all in view of this goal will prove to be the best way to embody in the present time the love of your homeland, which animated Giorgio Castriota Skanderbeg. By interpreting the character and traditions of your people in the best way, he has validly expressed albanesity, a term used by the nineteenth-century writer Pashko Vasa to indicate the spiritual identity that united all the Albanians beyond the distinctions of religious character. This conviction gave an impetus to Albania in the peaceful coexistence of people belonging to different religions which over time became collaboration and fraternity. We see an example here.
As I had the opportunity to say on the occasion of my visit to Albania, the climate of respect and mutual trust between Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims is a precious asset for the country and acquires special importance in our time (Meeting with the Authorities, 21 September 2014). It shows that the peaceful coexistence of citizens belonging to different religions is a concretely practicable way that produces harmony and frees the best strengths and creativity of an entire people, transforming simple coexistence into true collaboration and brotherhood. The good disposition to consider differences as an occasion for dialogue and mutual esteem and knowledge also favours the development of authentic spiritual paths and becomes a valid example to which we look with real interest in building lasting peace, based on respect for the dignity of the human person.
In grateful memory of the holy martyrs who bore witness to their faith by paying the price of giving their lives, as well as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, I am pleased to ask the Lord to bless all of you present here. May God bless your family and all the Albanian people. Please do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.
(Original text in Italian)
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