VATICAN CITY, MAY 23, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says his Polish predecessor was able to help the Church in Albania recover from the "dark night of communist dictatorship."
The Pope affirmed this today when he received in audience prelates from the Albanian bishops' conference, have just completed their five-yearly visit.
The Holy Father recalled how "following the dark night of the communist dictatorship," the Church in Albania "was providentially able to recover, thanks also to the apostolic strength" of Servant of God John Paul II who visited the country in 1993, "reconstituting the Catholic hierarchy for the good of believers and of the Albanian people."
Benedict XVI encouraged the bishops "to promote in your actions and initiatives that unity which must express the basic and life-giving mystery of the one Body of Christ, in communion with Peter's Successor. [...] The shared responsibility of bishops" is essential "in order to face the problems and difficulties of the Church in Albania," he said.
"I invite you all to evangelical prudence, while maintaining an attitude of authentic charity and recalling that the ecclesial canons are a means to the orderly promotion of communion in Christ and the higher good of the one flock of the Redeemer," the Pontiff said. "This concerns evangelizing and catechetical activity and may also be expressed through commitment in the social field."
In this context, the Pope mentioned health care, education and factors "which favor positive collaboration among the various elements of society and their respective religious traditions."
Noting that the prelates face the phenomenon of emigration, both within and outside the country, he stressed the need to engage in dialogue with bishops from other countries, "in order to offer necessary and urgent pastoral assistance."
"I understand the difficulties of a lack of clergy," he affirmed. "I am also aware of the generosity of many of your priests, who work in precarious situations, committed to offering their ministry to the Catholic faithful of Albanian origin in foreign lands.
"Among your priorities, may the promotion of vocations always be a primary concern. On this the future of the Church in Albania depends."
Benedict XVI concluded his remarks by congratulating the prelates on the agreements signed recently with the Albanian state: "I trust that these provisions may aid the spiritual reconstruction of the country, given the positive role the Church plays in society."
