TIRANA, March 17 – Albania’s Orthodox Church has called on the Albanian government to return the property it was deprived of under the communist regime in the 1960s and put an end to acts of sacrilege in religious sites and sacred objects still held by state institutions. The appeal is accompanied by pictures of some brides posing in front churches and monasteries which the Orthodox Church describes as a grave offence and sacrilege to Orthodox believers.
“We protest because the state institutions which still hold possession of sacred places and objects even after 25 years of democracy in the country, give permission to desecrate the sacred and holy items of the Orthodox Church,” said the Church.
Citing a 2009 deal with the Albanian government, the Church demands “the immediate return and with no excuses of all property, including churches, monasteries, places of worship and sacred objects which are respected, honored as sacred by all Orthodox believers around the world, including Albanians.”
Commenting on the pictures taken in the historic Orthodox churches of Berat and Elbasan, the Church describes the pictures as acts of sacrilege which have not happened in places of worship belonging to other religious communities. “We recall that these repeated insulting actions do not ‘promote’ cultural heritage in our country,” the Church said in a statement.
“They have stepped into the Holy Throne and posed in front of the iconostasis,” says Thoma Dhima, a spokesperson for the Orthodox Church, referring to brides posing at the Onufri iconographic museum in the south-western UNESCO town of Berat, located in the inner part of “Saint Mary Church” in Berat Castle.
“This is desecration. These places were built for prayer and dedication to God. Although some of these objects have not been returned to the community since they were seized under communism, this does not mean they can be used for other purposes,” said Dhima.
There has been no immediate reaction to the Church’s requests by the government or state institutions.
In its latest 2014 religious freedom report on Albania, the United States Department of State says Albania made little progress in addressing claims from religious groups for the return or restitution of property seized during the former communist era, and many of the property claims remained unresolved.
Albania is a secular country that has a long tradition of religious tolerance and coexistence. According to the 2011 census, 58.79 percent of Albanians said they are Muslims, followed by Christians (Orthodox and Catholics) with 17 percent. The rest are irreligious or belong to smaller religious group, according the census.
In 1967, religious practices were officially banned in Albania, making the country the first and only constitutionally atheist state to ever exist. Just before the fall of state communism, in 1990 religious activities resumed.
