Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some secret documents issued by the Central State Archive in Tirana (fund of the former Central Committee of the ALP), which belong to 1974, where there is an information report prepared by the Director of the Directorate of Albanian Intelligence, Jonuz Mersini, (disguised as a diplomat in the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana), sent to the Central Committee of the ALP, where he informs them about the intensification of the hostile work of the Vatican, against the People’s Republic of Albania, Kosovo and other Albanian areas in Yugoslavia, in the period 1973-’74, disguising it under the guise of religious activities “. The full information report of the head of the Albanian Intelligence regarding the Holy See in the Vatican, where, among other things, it is stated: France, Belgium, Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, etc. In Rome, a steering group has been formed for all these activities, which consists of priests: Daniel Gjeçaj, Gjeto Radi, Injac Perolli, etc.
The secret document with report-information drafted by the Director of the Albanian Intelligence Directorate, Jonuz Mersini, sent to the Central Committee of the ALP, regarding: “Intensification of the hostile work of the Vatican, against the People’s Republic of Albania, Kosovo and other Albanian territories in Yugoslavia, in the period 1973-’74 “
THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
DIRECTORATE III
Secret
Examples No. 4
Tirana on 18.2.1974
I N F O R M A T I O N
From the data of one of our trusted sources it results:
1 – In the last two years, the Vatican has intensified its hostile activity against our country and Kosovo, disguising it under religious activities.
In addition to the direct activity he carries out in various forms and means against our country, the data show that he is doing an intensive religious work, both in the direction of Kosovo and the Albanian territories in Yugoslavia, as well as in the direction of reactionary and Kosovar emigration to countries of the West.
In the direction of Kosovo, the Vatican aims to:
A – To strengthen the religious feelings en masse and, using all opportunities, to influence in this direction and in Albania. In case of change of the situation in Albania, Kosovo will be the base from where it will be supplied with religious cadres, our country.
B – To stop the family emigration of Kosovars to the West. According to the Vatican source, it is not for the displacement of Kosovars forever. They encourage and approve only temporary emigration for work purposes.
For this problem, the Vatican has warned three Albanian priests who, for personal gain, have attracted to the US, a large number of Kosovar families.
To achieve these goals, the Catholic Clergy in Kosovo cooperates closely with the Catholic Church of Croatia and Slovenia, especially in the preparation of Albanian priests and nuns.
So far in Kosovo and other Albanian areas, several Catholic churches have been opened based in Ferizaj, Skopje, and Prizren. 13 branches of female religious institutes for Kosovo have also been opened, where about 160 nuns of Albanian nationality study.
In terms of reactionary and Kosovar emigration, the Vatican conducts a wide activity, especially for the part of the Catholic faith.
In this regard, he aims to:
A – To keep religious feelings alive and to activate them, in actions of this nature. Encourages them through correspondence and possible forms, to influence their people in Albania not to abandon religion and God.
B – To have reactionary emigration, under its own control and influence as a political force to use it in favorable situations against our country. Here the Vatican works carefully not to oppose foreign discoveries, especially the American one, which considers immigration as its own property.
To work in the direction of emigration, the Vatican has distributed priests and has opened and is opening churches in the USA, France, Belgium, Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, etc.
In Rome, a steering group of all these activities has been formed consisting of priests: Daniel Gjeçaj, Gjeto Radi, Injac Perolli, etc.
2 – The source also explained the purpose of the Vatican campaign for the problem of the priest Shtjefën Kurti. For a time, the Vatican hoped that in Albania, as in all revisionist countries, there would be a gradual rehabilitation of religion.
For this reason, the sectors that deal with Albania in the Vatican, took the orientation not only not to speak against our power, but also to look for ways to contact and get closer to us.
When they saw that this had no results and the fight against religion intensified, then it was decided to launch a campaign against religious persecution in Albania, and the case of Shtjefën Kurti was used as a reason.
It should be added, the source stressed, that the Vatican leaders believe that the priest was actually shot for the fact that he baptized a child, and that the mother of the child is still in prison.
The aim of the campaign was:
A – To influence the Albanian government to stop the actions taken against religion and priests, as well as to create better living conditions for them.
B – To negatively influence the attitude of emigration towards our country, especially to the colonies and Kosovar emigration.
The campaign did not yield the desired results and the Vatican is not satisfied. That is why they also stopped this campaign. For this influence and the threat we made to the Vatican, through the press for cooperation with fascism.
Our article dealing with this issue has been analyzed in the Vatican and in discussions; they have accepted that there is a truth there, but that this thing belongs to the past and that the later Popes themselves have condemned it. They, however, fear further publication of these materials. Memorie.al
Director of the III Directorate
Jonuz Mersini
