“I saw your suffering up close...” On the flight back from Albania, Francis met briefly with journalists travelling with him and only answered questions that were to do with his visit. He apologised for refusing to discuss other issues – one journalist tried to ask him about the Synod – but this was so as not to take away from the importance of today’s event.
Francis said he discovered that Albanians “are not intolerant, they are brothers to others, they have the gift of fraternity and this can be seen in the way different religions – Muslims, Orthodox and Catholics - coexist and collaborate. They work together as brothers.” The Pope said he was struck “right from the start” by the country’s youth. “I was told it is the youngest country in Europe. You can see a superior culture,” that has the ability to built a spirit of fraternity, “a path of peace, coexistence and collaboration.”
Francis also said he was struck by the stories of Albanian martyrs. “I spent two months reading about that difficult period, so I could understand it better... It was a time of cruelty, the level of cruelty was horrific.” Referring to the giant posters of martyrs from the communist era, he said: “When I saw those photographs, which were not just of Catholics, but also Orthodox and Muslim faithful ... they were killed simply because they professed their faith in God. All three communities bore witness to God and now they bear witness to brotherhood.”
Francis said he wanted to send out a message that reach beyond Albania, indicating a path to peace, peaceful coexistence and collaboration.” He added that he considered the country to be fully “European” “because of its culture of peaceful coexistence.” The vision he wished to communicate with these words “is a message” of support, even if Albania is not yet a member of the European community.
The Pope was reminded that his next trip is to Turkey, a country that shares a border with Iraq. “I can’t change the country’s geography...” he replied jokingly. He also mentioned his forthcoming visit to Strasbourg on 25 November. His visit to Ankara and Istanbul “may” begin “on 28 November,” which would allow him to celebrate the Feast of St. Andrew on 30 November.
Finally, Francis admitted he was moved to tears listening to the testimony of a priest who had been locked up in prison for 27 years, during the celebration of the Vespers in Tirana’s cathedral. “Hearing a martyr speak about his own martyrdom is a powerful experience. I think we all felt moved. They (the priest and a nun who also told her story, Ed.) spoke so naturally and with such humility that they seemed to be describing someone else’s story.”
