Catholic Church bishops gather in Shkodra for discussing the opening of religious rites

 Catholic Church bishops in the Paqe village, Shkodra, April 29, 2020

 The bishops of the Catholic Church in Albania, on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of Good Counsel, have celebrated a Mass in its Holy Shrine in Shkodra. They then met in an extraordinary meeting in the Village of Paqe (Shkodra) to discuss the situation created by Koronavirus and the progress of this situation.

During the meeting, some arguments were discussed regarding pastoral issues and the life of the Catholic Church, as well as some topics related to the entire Albanian society, at this time of pandemics. It was considered reasonable to make public some of the thoughts of this Conference on some of these topics, such as the importance of life and health, the socio-economic situation of Albanian families and the practice of worship, at this time of pandemic.

Regarding the resumption of religious activities in the Catholic Church, were considered the possibilities created by the steps taken by the competent bodies and a gradual action were taken, respecting all the necessary steps. Will be worked, in dialogue with parishioners and other church operators, as well as in compliance with the rules established for physical distancing, which activities can start and which cannot.

"We express our readiness to cooperate within our capabilities to turn this time into a time of care and service, a golden time of solidarity and subsidiarity, especially with the most needy. A logic of solidarity must be the real revolution that takes place in this situation so that our society can be configured as such and have at its core these very important values.

We continue to raise our prayers to God and Our Lady of Good Counsel..., so that we can face with patience, perseverance, and love this difficult situation created by Covid-19", said the representatives of the church.

They call on the government to take concrete measures to take care of the citizens in this difficult situation through concrete initiatives that provide solutions.

"During these days, we have ascertained, both personally and through our field operators, that the economic situation of many families is very difficult. As much as we have been able to, in the areas we cover, we have been close to these families, especially those with more extreme situations, but we see that assistance through aid is not the solution. The pandemic has further deepened the poverty of already poor families and created new poverty on the eve of survival. This work is not done through portals or charity, but with a clear subsidiary program for the neediest families. And this is the job of the government, which must take care of its citizens living in more difficult economic and social conditions", it is said in the statement.