TIRANA, Oct. 19 – Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II 12 years ago, and Albania celebrates the day as a national holiday with schools, banks and public offices closing for the day.
Several activities were held in Tirana to commemorate Mother Teresa, the ethnic Albanian Catholic nun known worldwide for her charity work in India and elsewhere.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said that this day imposes modesty to our country, adding that religious brotherhood is one of the precious values of Albania.
“This day imposes modesty, and it shouldn’t be considered as a fanfare memorial. Mother Teresa is commemorated for a long period of time, in our country most of the time virtually wrapped in red and black colors of the Albanian flag,” said Rama.
Mother Teresa is known for her work with the poor in Calcutta, India, and won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Pope John Paul II beatified her in 2003, putting her on a path to possible sainthood.
Mother Teresa was born in Skopje as Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu in 1910. She was born to parents who had moved to Skopje from Kosovo.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation. She was the recipient of numerous honors, including the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize.
She was banned from visiting family members in Albania by the country’s then brutal atheist communist regime, but she did visit as the regime fell and Albanians have commemorated her life and work ever since.
