Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al/ Christmas, the largest holiday of Christian believers in the world, in Albania began to be celebrated (after a long break) only after the 90s, when the communist regime was forced to make concessions as a result of the pressure of the international factor and also under the great pressure of thousands of Albanian Catholic and Orthodox believers. Which were deprived of this, since 1967 when the communist dictatorial regime of Enver Hoxha, by law banned the practice of religious beliefs, declaring Albania as the only atheist country in the world, which was sanctioned in the Constitution of the year 1976? In ’67, the communist regime banned and de jure the practice of religious beliefs, as the de facto thing, that is, the savage war against religious religions, had begun in 1945, arresting, imprisoning, interning and executing , with dozens of Catholic priests, but also those of other faiths of the Orthodox and Muslim clergy, which continued linearly until the late 1980s. But even though under this unprecedented persecution of religious religions in Albania, where it must be said that he against the Catholic clergy was on a much larger scale than other faiths, from 1945 to 1967, the many Christian believers filled cult objects, where the biggest celebration was that of Christmas. One of those clergymen of the Catholic faith, who gave Mass during the communist period from 1945 to 1967, was Dom Ernest Simoni Troshani, who from October 9, 2016, was proclaimed Cardinal by Pope Francis, being the Cardinal second Albanian after Dom Mikel Koliqi. Although at the age of 91, Cardinal Ernest Troshani continues to be quite active in all the various religious activities and ceremonies, such as Christmas. All these are already known to all Albanians, but what is not well known is the story of Dom Ernest before the ’90s, during the communist regime of Enver Hoxha where he suffered 28 years in the prisons of the most dictatorship wild of Europe. And based on this, Memorie.al is publishing some rare photos of Dom Ernest, which start from the period of the Zog Monarchy and continue later in the years of occupation of the country and continue in the period of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha, when he was ordained a priest and gave mass, in various religious ceremonies. Photos from his meetings with Pope Francis in the Vatican and during the visit that the head of the Holy See made to Albania. With the publication of these photos, the staff of Memorie.al finds the opportunity to wish all Albanians, wherever they are, happy Christmas for many years. And also a special wish for Dom Ernest, wishing him a long life and a Merry Christmas./Memorie.al
