ALBANIA: Pope Francis arrives in Albania on his first official visit to a European country

Record ID: 566419

  • Title: ALBANIA: Pope Francis arrives in Albania on his first official visit to a European country
  • Date: 21st September 2014
  • Summary: TIRANA, ALBANIA (SEPTEMBER 21, 2014) (REUTERS) PEOPLE AND POLICE OFFICERS IN STREET GROUP OF SPECIAL POLICE ARRIVING PEOPLE BEING SEARCHED AT ENTRANCE TO MOTHER THERESA SQUARE WHERE POPE WILL HOLD MASS PEOPLE WALKING INTO FENCED AREA (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) RESIDENT OF TIRANA, MARK GJECI, SAYING: "The Pope is coming today to give a blessing to Albanian people, to all of us, of all religions which exist here in harmony." MORE SPECIAL POLICE ARRIVING IN SQUARE (SOUNDBITE) (Albanian) RESIDENT OF TIRANA, BERTA NANAJ. SAYING: "This is a big event for the Albanian people. We live in religious tolerance here and he is welcome" GROUP OF PEOPLE WITH BOSNIAN AND KOSOVO FLAGS ON A FENCE IN FRONT OF THEM PEOPLE GATHERED IN STREET AWAITING POPE'S ARRIVAL
  • Embargoed: 6th October 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Albania
  • Country: Albania
  • Topics: International Relations,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA6SP621J8ZKN53WUS7G92OMAEI
  • Story Text: Pope Francis arrived in Albania on Sunday (September 21) on his first papal visit to a European country.
    Tens of thousands of people greeted him as he arrived in Tirana, the capital of the poor, mostly Muslim country.
    Catholics account for only 10 percent of Albanians and live in harmony with 58 percent Muslim, 2.5 percent Bektashi Muslims, and 6.5 percent Christian Orthodox, according to the latest census. The rest are agnostics.

    "The Pope is coming today to give a blessing to Albanian people, to all of us, of all religions which exist here in harmony," Tirana resident Mark Gjeci said.
    Albanians share a bond of language, customs and the hardship which many lived through together during the reign of communist dictator Enver Hoxha.
    Hoxha had banned religion in 1967, driving Albania's Catholic and Muslim faithful alike underground.
    Catholicism has reclaimed its place in the predominantly Muslim - but largely secular - country in the more than two decades since Albania's borders reopened and the country set out to re-join Europe.
    The Vatican said Pope Francis wanted his first trip in Europe to be to a "country on the margins" with a past of social and religious persecution and continuing poverty.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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