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130th anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Good Counsel, "protector of Albania"/ Rama invites Pope Leo XIV

2026-02-08 10:14:00, Aktualitet CNA

130th anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Good Counsel,

Prime Minister Edi Rama has shared his experiences during his visit to the Vatican and his meeting with Pope Leo XIV.

He announced that he has extended an invitation to Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Good Counsel by Pope Leo XIII, the patron saint of Albania, Regina Di Albania.

Rama said he does not know if Pope Leo XIV will be present but said he appeared interested.

"The special moment of this week was the visit to the Vatican and unlike previous visits, this visit had another unforgettable feature within it, the stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Regina di Albania, where the image of Saint Mary is kept, detached from the wall of the old church of Shkodra in 1467.

No Albanian head of state or government had ever crossed the threshold of this basilica, much to my shame, as I only recently realized how important this prohibition was.

The basilica has another specificity. It is an important destination under the auspices of the Augustinian Order, which is also the Order of Pope Leo XIV or Leo XIV. If we called the former John Paul II, we will call this one Leo XIV.

Pope Leo XIV, or Leo XIV, the first stop or the first thing he did after he was elected and after the white smoke rose above the Holy See was precisely the visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Counsel. And the prayer before that very image that came from Shkodra.

Another emotional moment was standing in the reception hall before the audience with Pope Leo XIV, where I went back in time.

In that same hall, awaiting the unforgettable meeting with Pope Francis, after he had been elected Pope and after I had been elected Prime Minister, and from where, the basis of an extraordinary friendship was created, a friendship that is one of the most beautiful things in my life. And for this reason, the homage at the simple, yet very beautiful grave of Pope Francis, who also became a great friend of Albania, who always kept our country in his prayers, conveying constant messages of love, closeness, respect, and kindness to the Albanian people, was absolutely touching.

On the other hand, it was certainly of special importance, as can be understood from the introduction to Pope Leo XIV. A character, a nature completely different from that of Pope Francis, but a man with a light, with a deep kindness, with whom we certainly talked about Albania, we talked about the region, we talked about the world and whom I invited to be present at the great celebration of the Catholic community, precisely for the 130th anniversary of the proclamation of Our Lady of Good Counsel by Pope Leo XIII, the patron saint of Albania, Regina Di Albania. I do not know if it will be possible, but in any case the invitation was made and the Pope expressed great interest.

Meanwhile, the meeting with the Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin was also part of the visit, a special pleasure, a rare man, a great personality, an extraordinary connoisseur of world affairs and also an extraordinary lover of Albania", declared Rama./ CNA





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