His Eminence, raised to the rank of Cardinal by Pope Francis on November 19 2016, shared his personal story. His devout faith and his constant expressions of thanksgiving to the Lord, despite the sufferings he was inflicted under the Communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, are impressive. He forgave his persecutors and devoted his efforts to fostering reconciliation. His is an exemplary life offered to God and to others.
Certain lives are gifts to other people. Lives spent in the love for God and for the neighbour. Lives that never backtracked, not even in the face of torture and persecution. In Albania, under the Communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, priests, men and women religious and lay faithful, served as points of reference for others. The regime viewed them as a threat, for they represented a source of hope for those who were suffering, and the offering of their lives stood as an example for the people. Persecuted for their love of Christ, priests, religious and lay faithful were not afraid to die rather than renouncing their faith. Thirty-eight martyrs murdered under the dictatorship were beatified in Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Scutari, on November 5 2016. Albania today guarantees freedom of religion, and high numbers of missionaries, present also in the villages on the mountains marked by widespread poverty, are willing to face any hardship to make Jesus known. The mission was carried out until an older age also by Cardinal Ernest Simoni,  especially in the parishes of Barbullush and Trush, in Fushë Arrëz. Like many of his friends also the Cardinal was prepared to give his own life, but God had different plans for him.

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2017/08/04/