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| Rama in his speech in Tirana before leaving for the Vatican |
"I am happy to be in these places, in the Eternal City, 'Mater et Magistra', where Pope Francis will receive me tomorrow, for the second time, with his wife Linda and son Zaho, who was still in the womb when the Holy Father received us for the first time. The grace of that meeting will remain forever intact in my memory, followed by the visit of His Holiness in Albania - his first trip abroad as the new Pope of the Catholic Church", said Rama.
I remember, he continued, "that he was received with immense love by thousands and thousands of Albanians, Catholics, Orthodox and Muslims gathered in Mother Teresa Square to receive him on the land of religious brotherhood, as he himself defined it”.
Rama recalled that "for centuries the Catholic Church has fraternized the people in our country".
This is always a reason to be grateful for goodwill, which is enhanced by faith and commitment to serve others, especially the poorest.
I find it difficult to express how much gratitude there must be for the church and Catholics, Albanians or foreigners, men, and women, priests or ordinary believers who do so much to improve the lives of the most needy or to educate young people.
"But today more than ever, especially in the presence of His Excellency, I want to thank you for the brotherhood that has united the Holy See and the Republic of Albania on the international stage for 30 years", he said.
The Prime Minister stressed that "30 years ago diplomatic relations were established between our two countries and on this auspicious day of celebrating an authentic jubilee, it seems to me a duty to remember with deep gratitude the diplomats who as ambassadors have honored the diplomatic mission of Albania in the Holy See and who unfortunately are no longer with us ”.
"Humble workers, but also far-sighted, this is the idea I created for the people who for three decades have contributed to the strengthening, but in fact, to the unification of the special relations between the Holy See and Albania in a kind of symbiosis.
Among these humble and far-sighted workers, I take the liberty to add His Excellency. In all circumstances, you have not missed any opportunity to show respect, closeness, and love for Albania. He has always done this with the dignity and humanism of his goal to guide, serve and support as St. Paul meant ", Rama further said.
The Prime Minister publicly reiterated what the Albanian authorities have said several times in business meetings: the quality of our relations owes much to the wisdom of your choices and the spirit of cooperation that His Excellency knows how to inspire and share ”.
We still see the fruits of this: a joint commitment to a future agreement with Bambino Gesù Hospital to facilitate the free treatment of Albanian children suffering from serious illnesses and the construction of the first shrine dedicated to St. Mother Teresa in Albania, thanks to a gifted land from the Albanian government in Tirana", he added.
Rama said that the holy place will be an important meeting point for hundreds of thousands of believers from all over the world and a constant call not to forget the poor.
We know full well that the poor and the marginalized are at the heart of the Pope and this Pontificate. We have focused on them for the last two years."
Providence, he continued, "called us back to office, first, through a catastrophic earthquake two years ago and then with a pandemic emergency."
Furthermore, Rama stressed that “the refugee crisis in Afghanistan has provided us with an opportunity to show how the virtues of charity and closeness to others should be applied.
"Albania is one of the first countries, if not the first, to open its doors to thousands of Afghans in need."
Meanwhile, after meeting with Pope Francis and giving him some gifts, he writes: "Pope Francis talks about Albania and Albanians with a special love, keeps fresh the memory of his first visit outside the Vatican in Albania, expresses gratitude for the role of Albania as a factor of peace in the region, but also as a country of a model people of human solidarity, from the rescue of the Jews to the present day with the hospitality for the Afghan refugees and conveys its blessings to all Albanians, also welcoming the most cooperation between the Holy See and the Albanian Government, for the creation of the pilgrimage destination with the monument and the temple dedicated to the Albanian Saint, Mother Teresa, in Tirana".
"We did not refuse the call for help that was addressed to us, but we tried to share with them everything we could, as we have always done in our history: with the Jews during the Second World War, with the Kosovo Albanians during the war with Serbia and with Persecuted Iranians fleeing the war in their own country."
For us, Rama continued, “it is important not only to welcome those who are at the crossroads between life and death but above all to treat them as family members so that they feel like human beings in complete possession of their dignity and not the remnants of a civilization like ours, which is reluctant to accept its duties when its comfort is disturbed”.
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| Rama in the Holy See sitting in the office of Pope Francis and talking to him |
"To help the poor, with the Catholic Church in Albania, with Caritas, with Malteser, with many other works of the help of the Universal Church, we walk hand in hand and carry out various joint projects. These projects also aim at our younger generations, to invite them to reflect on Christian values, such as solidarity, charity, and respect for others, not only as abstract universal values but also as compelling to perform concrete deeds. In these joint projects, the daily display of our harmony, we will not stop, even though my speech is over. But before I stop, I want to thank His Excellency and through him, all the pontifical diplomacy for the great work done over 30 years, to create and consolidate the relations between the Holy See and Albania in such a lively way", he added.
Rama with his wife Linda and son Zaho, laid flowers and lit a candle in the grave of the Albanian Pope Clement XI.