Pope to Beatify Victims of Albanian Communism

The Catholic Church in Albania on Thursday announced that 38 Christians martyred for their faith in the Communist era will be beatified in Rome this year.

The Albanian Catholics were executed or died in prison between 1944 and 1969, when Enver Hoxha's harsh Communist regime banned all religions and persecuted those who did not abandon their faith.

Most of the group are Catholic priests, but among them is also Maria Tuzi, a novice nun who died in 1950 while only in her twenties from the torture inflicted on her.

The Archbishop of Shkodra, Angelo Massafra, confirmed that the time for the beatification of the martyrs was near while in Rome on Wednesday meeting Bishop Marcello Semeraro, secretary to the group of cardinals named by Pope Francis to advise him on such matters.

A ceremony is expected to be held in Albania after Pope Francis approves the beatification of the 38. The Catholic Church in the country will then declare the day "Martyrs Day".

Dom Gjergj Meta, the parish priest of Durres, told BIRN that the report was great news not only for the Catholic community but for all Albanians.

"They lost their lives because the regime hated religion and were brave enough to resist. Now the road to their deserved beatification is open, and their names have passed all the required procedures and commissions of the Vatican," he said.

The Albanian Church submitted a list with the names of 40 proposed martyrs in 2010, asking for their beatification since their deaths all resulted from "odium fidei" meaning "hatred of the the faith".

Two names on the list died for their faith before the Communist era, however, so the Catholic Church has moved them into a separate process.

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