On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of his separation from this life
By Frank Shkreli
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the Vatican and the Republic of Albania as well as the 300th anniversary of the death of the Pope of Albanian origin, Clement XI of Albanian origin by his father, otherwise known as John Francesco Albani (Giovanni Francesco Albani). On this occasion, last week, seminars were held in Rome and Tirana to commemorate these two important anniversaries.
According to data from the Embassy of the Republic of Albania at the Vatican and the Albanian program of Vatican radio, last week on July 12, 2021 under the direction of the Charge d’Affaires at the Vatican, Albanian diplomat, Majlinda Doda, in the prestigious Zuccari Hall of the Senate of the Italian Republic, a Conference was organized entitled: “The Role of Pope Clement XI for the Revival of Albanian Identity and Italian Culture of the Time.” The conference – which was inaugurated by the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, with a greeting from the President of the Senate of the Italian Republic, Maria Elisabeta Alberti Casellati – was attended by well-known Arbëresh, Albanian and Italian scholars. Among them, Arbëresh Professor Francesco Altimari of the University of Calabria presented the study entitled: “Pope Albani for the Albanian and Arbëresh Cultural Renaissance”. Albanian professor Gëzim Gurga from the University of Palermo brought the paper, “Teaching the Albanian Language under the Pontificate of Pope Albani”. While the Italian Professor Carla De Bellis of the University, “La Sapienza” in Rome spoke about the connections of Pope “Clement XI with the Roman Academies.” While at the end of the seminar, in memory of these two anniversaries important for the history of ancient and current relations between the Vatican and Albania, Arbëresh artist, Franco Azzinari presented the unique painting dedicated to Pope Francis and his imaginary meeting with Pope Clement XI (Albania) , entitled “Malli i Arbërit”, introducing two popes who have had and have a love and devotion to the Albanian people of Arbëresh. Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi told the audience that this painting will be placed in the Vatican, a symbol of historically close relations between the Vatican and Albanians, with the exception of the period of pathological policy of the communist regime of Enver Hoxha, who was more interested in killing religious and the poet.
According to information from the Albanian Embassy, Charge d’Affaires of Albania in the Vatican, Majlinda Doda announced that last week’s conference – in memory of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Albania-Vatican relations due to the 300th anniversary of the death of the Pope of Albanian origin , Clement XI – is just the beginning of some other activities during this year. The Albanian diplomat was quoted as saying, “These manifestations open with Pope Clement XI – who led the Catholic Church for 21 years – to draw attention to the ancient ties between the Vatican and Albania, Clement XI’s interest in the Albanian people and Albania occupied by the Turks, the efforts to preserve the identity, the Albanian language and the Catholic religion, but also to note its contribution in the field of culture and art in general “, underlined the Diplomatic Representative of Albania at the Vatican . At that conference in Rome, it is reported that the relations between the Vatican and the National Hero of the Albanians, Gjergj Kastriot – Skanderbeg, were also discussed, of Manhood ”, as Pope Paul VI had told the Albanian emigrants in Rome (1968), on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of the National Hero. During the discussions of the conference in Rome, last week, the persecution of the Catholic clergy in Albania during the communist regime was also emphasized and the Vatican’s assistance to Albania after the collapse of official communism in 1991 until today was underlined.
It is worth remembering that 30 years ago diplomatic relations were established between Albania and the Vatican on September 7, 1991, an anniversary that was also marked on this occasion. The first diplomatic representative of the Vatican, or the first Apostolic Nuncio to Albania, was the Indian bishop, Ivan Dias, while the first Ambassador of Albania to the Holy See was Willy Kamsi, who presented his Letters of Credence to Pope John Paul II, shortly before he made the historic visit of a Pope to Albania (April 25, 1993).
Meanwhile, last week in Tirana was also organized a second scientific conference by the Academy of Sciences of Albania in cooperation with the Diplomatic Representation of the Pope – Apostolic Nunciataura in Tirana – on the occasion of these anniversaries where it was emphasized, by various speakers, that the figure of Pope Clement XI – Pope originating from northern Albania – is an identity figure for the Albanian nation, as are Gjergj Kastrioti -Skenderbe and Mother Teresa. In the Tirana conference on the topic, “Pope Clement XI and Albania” was discussed, among others, Pope Clement XI as a defender of the national identity of Albanians. It was emphasized that various sources of his time speak of the pride of Pope Clement XI for his Albanian origin. Various speakers at the Tirana conference emphasized, among other things, the close ties that Pope Clement XI had with the people and the Albanian Catholic Church of that historical period. Well-known academics and historians, such as Prof. spoke about this subject and its connections with Albanian lands. Bardhyl Demiraj, Prof. Francesco Altimari, Dom Nikë Ukgjini, Father Mikel Pllumbaj, Prof. Evalda Paci, Prof. Ardian Ndreca and Dr. Albin Saraçi, and others.
According to an announcement on the portal of the Academy of Sciences of Albania, the President of this institution of knowledge, Skender Gjinushi emphasized among the many merits of Pope Clement 11, “the generalization of the new ethnonym of the country and the people, Albania and Albanians, that were used for the first time as substitutes Arbëri e arbër in the minutes of the Assembly of Merqia, otherwise known as the Assembly of Arbni ”. In the announcement of the Academy on the proceedings of the conference, it is said that Mr. Gjinushi also spoke about some initiatives of historical-epochal importance, undertaken during his life by Pope Clement XI -Albania, in favor of his country of origin.
The jubilee conference in Tirana was also greeted by Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, representative of the Vatican in Albania, who stressed that Pope Clement XI has supported the Assembly of Arbni and Albanian. He also spoke about the presence of the Holy See in the Arber world to this day and stressed the fact that Pope Clement XI came from a family of Albanian origin and was a supporter of Arber, it is said in the announcement on the proceedings of the jubilee conference in Tirana. Pope Clement XI was proud of his Albanian origin, Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi was quoted as saying, emphasizing that there has always been a close connection between the Holy See and the Albanian people. Meanwhile, another speaker, Dom Nikë Ukgjini in the press release, “Mercy – the church of the Assembly of Arbri, in the past and today”, said that the origin of Pope Clement is from Laçi, Albania and brought evidence of the development of the Assembly of Arbri in the church of Mercy in Lezha. He stressed the encouragement and support of Pope Albani for the Assembly of Arber at a time when one of the distinguishing features of the papacy has always been his effort to stay close to the difficulties and dangers that have been threatened by external enemies, especially during the 500-year occupation of the Ottoman Empire, he said. Pope Clement was the main world figure of the time, added Dom Nik Ukgjini, among others, while presenting data on the parish of Merqia in Lezha, where the Assembly of Arber is gathered, approved by Pope Albani, Clement XI.
According to the portal of the Academy of Sciences of Albania, other speakers also emphasized the Albanian origin and the various contributions of Pope Clement XI, including Prof. Bardhyl Demiraj who in the statement, “Pope Clement XI in the Albanian collective memory”, underlined the continuous contributions of Clement XI to unite Christianity in Albania, where the Catholic and Orthodox Church coexisted peacefully, while emphasizing that Pope Clement also fought against corruption and nepotism.
While Prof. Francesco Altimari in the press release: “Regeneratio albanica: the role of Pope Clement XI for the awakening of culture and identity in the Albanian world”, discussed the Albanian descent of Pope Clement-Albani, taking special care of the fate of the country of his ancestors, by descent from the noble family of Mikel Laçi. The family of Pope Clement XI settled in Urbino, Italy and took the surname Albani, he said. Prof. Altimari is quoted as saying at the scientific conference that in the time of Pope Clement there was a renaissance of the Arbëresh, where the clergy were the first to start writing in Albanian. Another speaker, Mikt Mikel Pllumbaj in the speech “Pope Clement and Illyricum Sacrum”, spoke about the major encyclopedia with 9 volumes and 5500 pages, which talks about the history of the Illyrians and Arberians where according to him Pope Clement XI occupies an important place as Albanian patriot. A brief summary of the report on the conference proceedings can be found on the Academy of Sciences page, including other speakers.
As noted by the academic presentations at the two jubilee conferences on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Vatican and Albania and the 300th anniversary of the death of the Albanian Pope, Clement XI, the ties between the Albanian Nation and the Vatican are ancient and continue to improve after the dark communist period. They have been strengthened, especially, in the last three decades with the visits of two Popes to Albania: Pope John Paul II in 1993 and Pope Francis in 2014 and the visits of senior Albanian officials to the Vatican over the years.
Jubilee conferences on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Albania-Vatican relations and the commemoration of the 300th anniversary of the death of Pope Clement XI and the historic visits of Pope Francis to Albania in September 2014, as was the visit of Pope John Paul II Second in April 1993 on Arberian land – despite the history of the communist regime’s persecution of its opponents, including the Albanian Catholic Church, whether for religious or political reasons, shows that in this life everything is revived and renewed. Reason, truth and right – although, unfortunately, they lost their way during the communist regime in Albania, we can now hope that – at last – they have found the way and the place that belongs to them in the land of Arbër and that the good , finally, always triumphs over evil and that the Albanian Nation – after 30 years of difficult transition – we hope to open new paths to freedom, truth and permanent justice. Hopefully, as hope dies last!