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© Peter Kenny

© Peter Kenny

By Peter Kenny*

A compelling portrayal of the revival of the collective church in Albania is found in the voices of individuals such as Nathan Hoppe, who recalls arriving there in 1998.

“I was sent from the United States by the Orthodox Christian Mission Center which is a pan-Orthodox mission sending agency. I arrived about seven years after the communist system began to fail and freedom began to come,” Hoppe said.

Hoppe recently participated in a Global Christian Forum (GCF) consultation entitled “Discrimination, Persecution and Martyrdom: Following Christ Together” in Albania on 1-5 November.

His work focusses on seminary and university students, as well as children. He teaches the early church fathers at the Resurrection of Christ Theological Academy and leads the ministry for students at the University of Tirana.

Hoppe also represents Albania’s Orthodox Church at international gatherings including the official dialogue with the Roman Catholic Church and before the Lutheran World Federation.

“Albania is known as a place of coexistence and positive relations between the religious communities, but there are challenges and all of the communities still suffer from the failure of the government to return properties confiscated during the communist regime,” says Hoppe.

In 2013, the Albanian government returned four buildings in Durres and Korca to the Orthodox Church through restitution, according to the U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report. But the report also flags some 435 claims that remained unresolved.

Census disputed

Another contentious point is Albania’s census figures. The same U.S. report notes that religious leaders continue to challenge the 2011 census, saying officials never visited a large number of their followers.

According to official figures, religious groups, organizations, and foundations have 125 affiliated associations and foundations managing 96 educational institutions. By law, the Ministry of Education must license these schools, and curricula must comply with national standards.

Many dispute the counting of Christians in the 2011 census, which shows Christianity is practiced by 16.99 per cent of Albania’s population, making it the 2nd largest religion. The numbers are considerably lower than they really are, say Christians, and this impacts a number of sectors of life. “After the census the government came back showing a very small percentage of Orthodox Christians in Albania – instead of between 20 and 30 percent of the population,” said Hoppe.

Liturgical, preaching and catechism life has returned to most cities and villages, increasing the both clerical and lay participation, but the church still faces challenges, he added.

The same census shows that only 6.75 per cent of the Albanian population adhere to the Albanian Orthodox Church, and this figure is strongly disputed by Orthodox believers who say their true numbers have been slashed for an unstated reason.

In 2013, World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit expressed concern about the 2011 Albania Census in a letter to Heiner Bielefeldt, special rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief for the UN Human Rights Council.

Tveit questioned the reliability of the process which, he said, has implications for religious minorities’ rights and religious freedoms guaranteed in Albania’s constitution.

According to same census, 58.79 per cent of the country adheres to Islam, making it the largest religion, and 10.03 per cent of Albania′s population adheres to Roman Catholicism.

Albania’s Muslim President Bujar Faik Nishani praised visiting Christians who attended the  GCF consultation.

“The only dark and unrepeatable period in the history of Albania” was when “Christian clergy and followers, and not only them, were persecuted, shot and martyred” by the “soulless Communist dictatorship,” he said. “Religious tolerance can serve us all.”

The Maltese-born Auxiliary Bishop of Tiranë-Durrës, George Frendo, however, warned that today, “We are even denying our history and heritage, removing crosses from classrooms and refraining from building Christmas cribs in our schools.

“We need the courage to counter this mentality, then may we be able to show the world that we are happy that we have known Jesus Christ and have opted to follow him.”

Pope Francis, in his message read to the GCF meeting, said, “In various parts of the world the witness to Christ, even to the shedding of blood has become a shared experience of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Protestants, Evangelicals and Pentecostals.”

WCC general secretary expresses concern over Albania census

Churches come together on theme of discrimination, persecution, martyrdom

Cardinal Kurt Koch tells WCC News: We have to deepen our solidarity

*Peter Kenny is a journalist and communications consultant. He writes for Ecumenical News, The Wall Street Journal, The Star in Johannesburg and other media organizations.