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ALBANIA
Historic ordinationsFirst priests trained in new seminary
The first five Albanian priests to have been trained at the inter-diocesan seminary of Scutari were ordained on June 29, on the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul. Archbishop Angelo Massafra of Scutari presided over the ordinations in the city cathedral.
Archbishop Massafra said, “This is a historic day for Albania. The ordination of five new priests shows that spreading the Gospel is possible through local vocations in spite of this country’s problems.” The archbishop called the ordinations “a sign of hope that shows how the Albanian Church is growing rapidly after so many years of state atheism and martyrdom.”
After the Second World War, the Church in Albania was almost destroyed by the Communist regime of Enver Hoxha. Hundreds of priests were shot or imprisoned. In 1967 a new Albanian constitution proclaimed Albania the first atheist country in the world.
Three of the five new priests are diocesan and two are Franciscans. The last ordination of an Albanian diocesan priest was in 1991 immediately after the introduction of democratic institutions. The ordination of the two Franciscans marks the revival of the order on Albanian soil. The last ordination of a Franciscan Albanian was 44 years ago, in 1956.
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