Two Albanian martyrs, Fr Luigi Paliq and Fr Gjon Gazulli, have been declared blessed by the Catholic Church, during a ceremony held on Saturday 16 November, in the city of Shkodër. “These two men were libelled and unjustly harassed, but their witness of forgiveness and love in the face of their persecutors made them examples of holiness,” says Magda Kaczmarek, project director for Eastern Europe at Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Kaczmarek and two other members of the international foundation attended the ceremony at the invitation of Angelo Massafra, the Archbishop of Shkodër, as a gesture of thanks for ACN’s support of the local Church.
“These two new blesseds now join the list of the martyrs from communist oppression which occurred years later and who were already beatified in 2016, here in Shkodër. But it is important to highlight that these two martyrs gave their lives for Christ before the subsequent terror, because life has never been easy for Catholics in Albania. This country is a land of martyrs, but also the blood of these martyrs has been the seed of the flourishing faith among young people today,” Kaczmarek explains.
Fr Luigi Paliq, a priest of the Order of Friars Minor, born in Janjevo, today a region of Kosovo, was a victim of repression by the Montenegrin occupiers during the First Balkan War (1912-1913). When the Orthodox invaders tried to force the Catholic and Muslim population to convert, Fr Paliq defended religious freedom and encouraged Albanians to remain faithful to their own beliefs. Falsely accused of inciting the people not to lay down their arms, on his way to trial, Fr Paliq was separated from the other prisoners, stripped of his habit and shot. As recalled during the beatification ceremony, he died saying, «O Jesus, be it for your love.»
Fr Gjon Gazulli, on the other hand, was a priest from the Diocese of Sappa who lived through another difficult stage of Albanian history, when the regime of President Ahmet Zogu, which was hostile towards Catholic priests and the social doctrine of the Church, tried to eliminate religious education from schools. Fr Gazulli was hanged on the outskirts of Shkodër in 1927 after being unfairly accused of encouraging the people to a rebellion in November 1926. He pleaded his innocence before his death, forgave his killers and confirmed his love for Christ, saying: “Long live Christ, our King, long live the Holy Father, long live the Catholic Church and long live Albania.”
Speaking to ACN, Bishop Simon Kulli of the Diocese of Sappa highlighted the importance of Paliq and Gazulli’s martyrdoms: “These two blesseds, along with 38 other Albanian martyrs, are a great example of living faith, and of how nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” Pointing to his own episcopal coat of arms, the bishop showed how “the cross is encrusted with precious stones of the martyrs for the Faith. An unbreakable faith. Their resistance to persecution has been an inspiration for the Church in Albania, which is back on its feet after years of oppression and suffering of priests, religious sisters and laypeople.”
Despite the libel, the false accusations and persecution, Fr Luigi Paliq and Fr Gjon Gazulli remained firm in their faith. According to Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, the Prefect of the Dicastery of the Causes of the Saints, who presided over the beatification ceremony, the example of these martyrs invites us to reflect on the importance of living according to the values of the Gospel and to resist lies and falsehood. This is an issue which has become increasingly relevant in our time, sometimes described as the age of post-truth. “Sometimes, it is mockery which tries to disfigure our faith and make us look ridiculous,” he said in his homily.
The ACN delegation used this opportunity to visit some of the projects it supports in Albania. During the meeting with the Archbishop of Tiranë-Durrës, Mgr. Arjan Dodaj expressed his gratitude to ACN for its support over the past years. He also stressed the importance of the witness of the new martyrs for young people in Albania. “The reality of their lives and witness has taken flesh in the true and noble ideal of belonging to Christ,” he said. “In a social reality that is abstract and virtual, they centre us in reality, in what it means to give one’s life like Our Lord today.”
The Communist regime in Albania tried to end all religions, by completely destroying them. After the fall of the Communist regime, the Church returned from the catacombs, and nowadays, Albania is an example of harmony between Muslims, Bektashis, Catholics and Orthodox.
In a country which has plunged into the depths of poverty and isolation, ACN has supported the local Church’s resurgence with over 400 projects. In 2024, the lack of resources in Albania has kept the country on ACN’s priority list.
The local Church is served by missionaries from many countries and every continent, distributed throughout the country. One such missionary is Fr Oscar Alejandro, a Salvadorian priest who has been in Albania for 10 years. “We ask you to pray for the evangelisation of Albania. This country has suffered greatly,” the priest says. “They tried to kill the Faith; they wanted to kill God in men’s hearts. Pray that Christ can come again to the hearts of many, that they might live in his love.”