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| Episcopal Conference of Albania |
In Albania, the Catholic Church made an unusual statement on Friday, called an "act of denunciation", where it asked the "political class" to find ways to stop the mass emigration of Albanians, which, according to the clergy, is caused by the fear that families have because they are not able to guarantee a safe future for their children, Vatican News reports.
The declaration of the Episcopal Conference, the representative institution of the Catholic Church in Albania, was read by Angelo Massafra, Archbishop of Shkodra.
"Through this ACT OF DENUNCIATION, we address above all the political class of the country so that this problem is treated with the highest priority," the statement says.
"It is more than evident the need to undertake fair policies and coordinate all the country's social factors, for a dialogue that brings the right solutions," the statement further states.
It is unclear what has caused the latest migratory wave of Albanians, which comes, strangely, after the country has been emigrating for three decades. However, the Catholic Church says that its analysis of the situation shows that there is a lack of hope for the future.
"The situation is clear in everyone's eyes. This is confirmed by the pastoral work of the sisters and priests, as well as listening to our believers, who dramatically tell us how entire families prefer to emigrate for fear that they cannot guarantee a safe future for their children. and that many of them have lost hope of living in Albania," the statement says.
"In this way, we have a total emptying of school structures in rural areas (this means a future without young people) and the lack of what can be called the most valuable professions for the social and economic development of our countries, such as personnel health, education, and various professions," the statement continues.
Thousands of Albanians have crossed the English Channel that separates France from the United Kingdom, becoming the subject of political debate in London in recent months.