Government gives 113 million ALL (870.000 EUR) to religious communities

TIRANA, April 16 – Albanian government has decided to give close to 900.000 EUR to the religious communities in order to preserve the good tradition of religious tolerance and co-living in the country and also to express its gratitude for all the values cultivated by these communities during the years.
In a meeting with religious leaders, PM Berisha declared that this contribution is important for the spiritual infrastructure of the Albanian nation.
“Always considering laicism as the legacy and the finest tradition of the state, I can also add that religious believes are foundations that feed the human soul, the Albanian soul. They [religions] have contributed hugely in rebuilding those values that were utterly destroyed, more so than anywhere else, by a barbarian regime during communism,” said Berisha.
The government funds will be destined toward religious administration, education, and investments in religious infrastructure.
Albania shares the three major religions of the globe; Islam (70%), Albanian Eastern Orthodox (20%), and Catholics (10%). The tiny country is known for its religious tolerance throughout its history. In WWII, Albania was the only country whose Jewish population was bigger after the war (1500) than before its start (200). Not a single Jew was handed to the Nazis by Albanian families, whether Muslim or Christian.
However, not all is bright in the present Albanian religious communities. Two weeks ago, leaders of the Muslim community accepted for the first time attempts from foreign influence to fragment the Albanian Muslim. Such interferences are supposedly supported by financial means from abroad. The current fund given to the religious communities by the Albanian government might be an attempt to neutralize the dependency of these communities from foreign finances.
On a less positive angle, the said fund might seem as an attempt by the government to gain the vote of religious communities. Afterall, elections are just 2 months away.