THE WORLD LOST THE BLESSER OF PEACE, POPE FRANCIS!

2025-04-21 19:13:00, Opinione Besim Ndregjoni

The news of the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis was, for us survivors of the communist dictatorship, terrible and very shocking news, that we lost a Pope who wanted peace and brotherhood among peoples and the undisputed Advocate for the defense of freedom and human love.

We had the fortune and privilege of being invited to the Vatican directly by His Holiness Pope Francis on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the anti-communist revolt of Spaç, a representation of the Nationwide Union for the Integration of Political Prisoners and Persecuted of Albania, headed by the son of a family that had faced three fascist dictatorships, a Nazi dictatorship and a communist dictatorship.

This historic visit of our representation consecrates the importance of our tragic past, and at the same time aims to support the Holy See towards the anti-communist Albanians, who faced the psychological and physical terror of the Enver dictatorship, which throughout its rule used the Stalinist ideology in an extreme way with reprisals in the destruction of human lives of Albanian society to revive an Albania with God and for man! The representation in the Vatican were eyewitnesses of the communist era they lived, they were the eagles of freedom who, amidst bullets, torture and sadistic Enver terrorism, raised the starless flag in the anti-communist revolt of Spaç, defending national identity. These were eyewitnesses of the communist era in the historic meeting with Pope Francis. We showed his holiness the undeserved suffering and the strength of character to remain faithful to oneself, including that of life.

THE WORLD LOST THE BLESSER OF PEACE, POPE FRANCIS!

We reiterated to Pope Francis that in the communist catastrophe, there was an element that held an inspiring stance for us and for future generations. This element was the population with the Catholic faith and its spiritual leaders, the Catholic clergy. And a special emotion was when I delivered the letter of Father Mëshkallë to this religious and patriotic giant, at a time when the dictatorship was demolishing churches and mosques, he had the courage to write to the sadistic criminal Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu because you are turning Albania, with three centuries-old religious faiths, into a fatherland on a world scale. The binomial “Faith and Homeland” during the years of the red dictatorship proved to be an invincible and unyielding fortress! This was the truth that we repeated to His Holiness that Albania was a prison state where they were accused without guilt, arrested without guilt, tortured without guilt, but they remained faithful to the religion they believed in and never forgot Mother Albania.

THE WORLD LOST THE BLESSER OF PEACE, POPE FRANCIS!

In front of the firing squads they shouted “Long live Albania”, “Long live Christ the King”. “Long live the Pope” The historic visit, blessing and support of Your Holiness Pope Francis for us survivors of the dictatorship is an alarm bell for you Albanian politicians who seek the perpetuation of the figure of the dictator.

Pope Francis' blessing on October 25, 2023 for the Albanian nation is spiritual happiness for democracy and peace. There is no peace without justice, there can be no justice without asking for forgiveness, there can be no forgiveness without truth. REST IN PEACE, HOLY FATHER!