Pope Francis took aim at religiously motivated violence, pointing to peaceful Muslim-Christian co-existence in Albania during a Sunday trip there.
The brief trip to a small, majority Muslim nation marks the Holy Father's first papal visit to Europe. It was a packed itinerary kicked off by a ceremonial visit with Albanian President Bujar Nishani and other dignitaries. The pope warned against perverting religion and using it for a pretext for "actions against human dignity."
He also told them Albania is a "land of heroes," saying its people have stood firm despite persecution, reports Catholic Herald Online.
With the arrival of Communism in 1967, Catholicism - and all religion - was eliminated in Albania. It wasn't until after 1990 that expressions of faith were allowed, and the Catholic Church began to rebuild itself in the country. Now the Albanian population is 56 percent Muslim, 10 percent Catholic, and 7 percent Orthodox Christian, according to official figures.
Under this backdrop, Pope Francis met with Muslim and Orthodox clergy. He also took Albania's history into account in his sermon to the crowds in Mother Teresa Square in the capital city of Tirana. He told them the "doors of Albania have been reopened" and a "season of new missionary vitality" is beginning. The pope's visit itself affirmed this, and hearkened back to his pronouncement that Christians go to the periphery.
Catholic News Service reports security was typical for the visit, but local authorities took the extra precaution of jamming cell phone service for several hours. The pope drove in his usual open-top jeep to say hello to joyful crowds that included many Muslims, according to CNS. That was despite a recent warning by Iraq's Ambassador to the Holy See that the Islamic State is targeting the pope, trying to kill him.
The Holy Father also said evening prayers with young men and women preparing to become priests and nuns. He told them that people, "more than seeking experts, are seeking witnesses: humble witnesses of the mercy and tenderness of God."
Vatican Beat
• The new successor to conservative Cardinal Francis George (retiring head of the Archdiocese of Chicago) will be Bishop Blase Cupich - someone Vatican-watchers are calling an "American Pope Francis." He's a moderate bishop who irritated pro-life groups by asking his priests not to pray outside of Planned Parenthood, calling it "unnecessarily provocative," according to John Allen Jr.
• A commission to overhaul Vatican media is meeting this week for the first time, Zenit reports.
• With Rosh Hashana celebrations coming up, the pope met with Jewish leaders at the Vatican this past week.
• The Vatican has announced a commission to simplify its annulment process, according to Catholic News Agency. In Catholic Church teaching, an annulment means that a couple's marriage is not valid and essentially never was a marriage, as understood by the Church, because of factors that were not acknowledged at the time of the marriage.
Kathryn Elliott covers the Vatican, Pope Francis and all things related to the Catholic Church for HNGN. She is a producer for EWTN News Nightly, an international cable news show airing weeknights at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST on the Global Catholic Television Network. Kathryn has reported for the National Catholic Register, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Catholic Spirit, The Minnesota Daily and The Word Among Us Magazine. She has a BA in professional journalism from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Kathryn lives in Washington D.C. Follow her on Twitter at @kmelliott90.
