_WORLD WATCH______________________________
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Albania
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The aftermath of an atheistic regime
Cathedral dedication signals a new era
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State, presided at the January 26 dedication of a new cathedral in Tirana, the capital of Albania. Archbishop Rrok Mirdita remarked that the occasion opened “a new chapter in national history” for what was once one of the world’s most bitterly anti-religious regimes.
The cathedral dedication, Archbishop Mirdita said, was “the crowning of a decade of work to rebuild the Church in Albania.” The country’s Communist regime, toppled ten years ago, was avowedly Stalinist and atheistic, and allowed no public displays of religious belief.
“The long night of our sad persecution has now been overcome by the brilliant day which is dawning in this beautiful corner of Europe,” Cardinal Sodano said.
Archbishop Mirdita said that the presence of the cathedral in Tirana—”where the most terrible acts of persecution against Catholics took place”—gave the faithful a new opportunity to seek God after a half-century in which they were required by law to deny God’s presence. He said that the arrival of democracy in Albania had produced dramatic and welcome changes, allowing the Church to make her presence felt in public life for the first time in several generations.
The Holy See established diplomatic ties with Albania in 1992, and Pope John Paul II visited the country in April 1993. During his visit, the Pope consecrated four Albanian bishops, including Archbishop Mirdita. The country’s President Rexep Meidani and Prime Minister Ilir Meta were present for the cathedral dedication ceremonies.