Tirana (Fides Service) - Today Catholics in Albania are celebrating the tenth anniversary of the pastoral visit to their country by Pope John Paul II on 25 April 1993. A special guest for the occasion is Cardinal Ivan Dias, Archbishop of Bombay who at that time, ten years ago, was Nuncio to Albania. The celebrations will also mark the tenth anniversary of the ordination, at the hands of the Pope, of four local Bishops the first in the post-Communist era. Bishop Rrok Mirdita, today Archbishop of Tirana, Bishop Zef Simoni auxiliary of Scutari, Bishop Frano Illia and Bishop Robert Ashta, who have since both died.
On 25 April in Scutari Cardinal Dias will preside a solemn Mass to commemorate the event, at which all the Bishops, priests, religious of Albania and many of the country's Catholics will take part. On 26 April Archbishop Mirdita will celebrate the tenth anniversary of his Episcopal ordination in Tirana and in the afternoon there will be a meeting with the local clergy. This will be followed by a concert of classical Easter hymns performed by the Pax Dei Choir.
Celebrations will continue on 1-3 May for the 10th anniversary of the founding of Caritas Albania. There will be a series of conferences at Peace Village in Scutari with the presence of various bishops and also the President of Albania Alfred Moisiu, who will present Caritas with an official award for its work of human promotion in these past ten years. For the occasion Fides Service will publish an interview with Archbishop Rrok Mirdita. (Fides Service 24/4/2003 EM lines 25 Words: 274)