TIRANA, Sept 21 /ATA/ Today marks 12 years since Pope Francis made his historic visit to Tirana on September 21, 2014.
It was his first visit to a European country outside Italy after being elected head of the Catholic Church.
The Pope spent around 12 hours in Tirana, drawing international attention to Albania’s model of peaceful coexistence and cooperation among people of different faiths.
Pope Francis chose Albania for his first European visit. He delivered his opening speech at the Presidential Palace, followed by an address during the Holy Mass at Mother Teresa Square.
In keeping with tradition, the Pope was welcomed by tens of thousands of Albanians from different religious backgrounds.
“I am very happy to be among you, in the noble land of Albania, a land of heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence, and a land of martyrs who demonstrated and remained faithful to their faith during the difficult times of persecution,” he said.
Pope Francis celebrated Mass and strengthened the Catholic community in its faith, encouraged interfaith dialogue for the common good in a predominantly Muslim country, and urged the entire population to continue along the path of democracy.
A particularly moving moment during Pope Francis’s visit was his embrace with two survivors of communism, Father Ernest Simoni (Troshani), now a cardinal, and Sister Maria Kaleta. He also met the children of the Bethany Centre, where nuns continue to care for those in need, as well as many others.
His visit to Albania drew widespread international attention, with peaceful coexistence among different religious communities at the heart of his message.
It was Pope Francis who canonized Mother Teresa on September 4, 2016. He also signed the decree for the beatification of the first 38 Albanian martyrs of communism on November 5 of the same year, adding two more on November 16, 2024.
Pope Francis died on April 21, 2025, at the age of 88.
