Christianity in Albania

  Albania is a beautiful and beguiling country with an intriguing long history, catalogued through stories, literature, art and poems. And Albanians love their country with passion. This is evident in some of the comments recorded online. One of them, Edith Durham wrote: other countries “are strewn with the wreckage of dead Empires – past Powers – only the Albanian ‘goes on for ever’.

Yet another, Maximillian Lambertz said tongue in cheek, “The true history of mankind will be written only when Albanians participate in its writing”. I’m yet to come across anyone in the African continent or my country Nigeria who exudes such pride in his identity! Here is another quote from a famous Albanian, Mother Theresa:

Before we present the status of Christianity in the country, it is essential to give a brief history of the nation and its people; God’s canvass manifested in the flora and fauna, as well as the culture. The status of Christianity will focus on religious liberties, and prayer points to help believers spread the gospel in their communities.

Geography and History

The Republic of Albania is located in Southern Europe. It was at various times known as the People’s Republic of Albania and the People’s Socialist Republic of Albania. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, North Macedonia to the east, Greece to the southeast and south, Adriatic and Ionian Seas to the west and southwest, respectively. The country has a mountainous geography, as about three-fourths of its territory consists of mountains and hills with elevations of more than 650 feet (200meters) above sea level. The remainder comprised of coastal and alluvial lowlands

Because of its location on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas, Albania has long served as a bridgehead for various nations and empires seeking conquest abroad. In the 2^nd Century BC, the Illyrians who first settled in the country were conquered by the Romans. From the end of the 4^th Century, they were ruled by the Byzantine Empire. After suffering centuries of invasion by the Visigoths, Huns, Bulgars, and Slavs, the Albanians were finally conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 15^th Century.

Ottoman rule cut off Albania from Western civilization for more than four centuries. In the late 19^th Century, the country began to remove itself from Ottoman influence and to rediscover old affinities and common interest with the West. Albania gained independence in 1912, but the following year the demarcation of its boundaries by the great powers of Europe (Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia) assigned about half of its territory and people to neighbouring countries,

Ruled as a monarchy between the World Wars, Albania emerged from the violence of World War II as a communist state that fiercely protected its sovereignty and in which almost all aspects of life were controlled by the ruling party. But with the collapse of other communist regimes beginning in 1989, new social forces and democratic parties emerged in the country. The shift reflected the nation’s continuing orientation toward the West, and it accorded with the Albanian people’s long-standing appreciation of Western technology and cultural achievements – even while retaining their own ethnic identity, cultural heritage and individuality.

God’s Canvass in Albania

Albania is a land of natural beauty and romantic remoteness. The animal world in Albania, as well as vegetation, is similar to that of the Mediterranean countries and Central Europe. There are many species of wild animals, including wolves, foxes, bears, hares, deer and ibex. Albanian seas, lakes and rivers are home to about 110 families of all species of fish in the Mediterranean Sea: mullet, bar and trout are some of the fish found in Albania. In terms of flora, few countries in the world have such a variety of plants as Albania.

There are about 3,200 species of plants that not only account for most of the Balkan flora, but also include plants from more distant regions. These include olive trees, vineyards and fruit trees such as fig, orange and lemon. The landscape offers more or less different fruits according to the seasons; cherry trees bloom in May, persimmon in November, while nuts are widespread in the highlands. Pictures showing the flora and fauna of Albania are presented below.

Flora

Fauna

Beautiful Landscapes in Albania

Source Google.com

Culture

Albanian culture is shaped by its geography and history. The first settlers, Illyrians were pagans. They were later influenced by ancient Greeks, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans. Currently, Albanians can be culturally and linguistically divided into two groups such as the northern Ghegs and southern Tosks. The line of demarcation between both groups is the Shkumbin River that crosses the country from east to west. Outside of Albania, Gheg is mostly spoken in Kosovo, northwestern North Macedonia, Montenegro and Croatia. On the other hand, Tosk is spoken in Greece, southwestern North Macedonia and southern Italy. The diversity between Ghegs and Tosks is substantial, as both sides identify with the common national and ethnic culture.

The country has one of the most homogenous populations in Europe, with non-Albanians accounting for less than one-tenth of the total population. The largest minorities are the Vlachs of Greek ancestry concentrated mainly in the southeast; and Macedonians, living along the eastern border. The two main subgroups of Albanians are the Ghegs and Toks in the north and south, respectively. Until the 19^th Century, collective identity in Albania was defined primarily by religion. To be of Islamic faith was to be Turkish, and to be of the Orthodox Christian faith was to be Greek. The ethnic and religious affinities also manifest in clothes worn by Albanians. Some of the traditional attires are shown below.

Albanian Cuisine

Food is for Albanians, an important component of their culture and is deeply rooted in the history, traditions and values of the country. The cooking traditions of Albanian people are diverse. Nevertheless, olive oil is the most commonly used vegetable fat in Albanian cooking. Albanian cuisine also uses a variety of ingredients, including vegetables such as zucchini, eggplants, peppers and cabbages, as well as cereals like wheat, sweetcorn and barley. A platter of Albanian cuisine is shown below.

A Platter of Albanian Cuisine

Religion in Albania

Albania is on the border dividing three religions: Roman Catholicism, Greek Orthodoxy and Islam. About 61% of Albanians identify as Muslim, Roman Catholics make up about 10% and Greek Orthodoxy 7%. It is pertinent to note that all religions were banned in the country in 1967 by the then communist leadership. The law was rescinded only in December 1990 after the collapse of the regime. However, organised religion plays a marginal role in public life as most Albanians hardly practice their professed faiths. Consequently, religious extremism is virtually unknown.

Status of Christianity in Albania

Christianity was the dominant religion in Albania from 325 AD under the Byzantine Empire. From 1100 AD, Church missions were established across the country by a group known as Franciscans, through the influence of Venice. However, the Ottoman Empire which ruled the country from the 15^th Century replaced Christianity with Islam. The religious composition by percentage based on the 2011 census gives Islam, 56.7%; Undeclared, 13.79%; Roman Catholicism, 10.03%; Greek Orthodoxy, 6.75%; Atheism 2.5%; Bektashis, 2.09%; Protestantism 0.09%; other faiths, 0.02%.

God’s mercy and grace in Christ Jesus have not segmented humanity or conceded any soul to satan. Therefore, our interest is not merely to promote Christianity in Albania to the detriment of other faiths. Our interest is to capture the entirety of Albania for Christ. In Psalm 2:8, God said to the Messiah, “Ask of Me, and I will assuredly give You the nations as Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth as Your possession”. Also, 1 Timothy 2:4 tells us that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth”.

This agrees with prophesy given by Isaiah recorded in chapter 49, verse 6 of his book: “He says, ‘It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that My salvation may reach the ends of the earth. God equally declared in Isaiah 42:6, “I the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose. And I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations”.

The disciples of Jesus are called to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We do not fight with physical weapons to bring down the kingdom of darkness in the heart of people. We persuade them with the truth of the gospel and we also intercede for them before God’s throne of grace. The following prayer points are presented to assist us raise a cry before God for the salvation of all unsaved persons in Albania. They are not exhaustive. Pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.

Prayer Points

1.  Pray for the Spirit of God to invade and inhabit Albania- the earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1).
2.  Pray that God would remove the blindfolds of darkness and false religions from the hearts and minds of Albanian people.
3.  Ask God to dethrone all demonic principalities and powers in Albania.
4.  Pray for the protection of believer in the country and that they be strengthened in their faith.
5. Pray that God would make Himself known to Albanians who doubt His existence.
6.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would work creative miracles in the country to manifest His power among Albanian people.
7.  Pray that God would purge Christian believers in Albania of the polluting influences of false religions and doctrines of devils.
8.  Pray for the unity of the Spirit among all Christian believers.
9.  Pray that God would send labourers into His vineyard in Albania.
10. Pray that Orthodox churches would stop resisting the work of the Holy Spirit due to their acceptance of doctrinal errors.

Intercession Checklist

1. Source for a political map of Albania on the Internet
2. Pick a city, town or tribal group for a focused prayer
3. Use Google or any other search engine to obtain more information on your chosen city, town or tribal group
4. Present the city, town or tribal group before God and tell Him that you claim it for Jesus Christ as His ambassador. Remember that the Father said to the Messiah in Psalm 2:8, “Ask of Me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession”.  A quote by D. L. Moody sums up our perspective on prayer.

Culled from:

https://www.britannica.com;

https://www.ecotouralbania.com;

https://www.nationsonline.org;

https://www.everyculture.com;

https://www.en.m.wikipedia.org.