Albania: “I was secretly baptised and my vocation is due to a priest who spent 28 years in prison”

26/02/2025, Author: Maria Lozano

Bishop Simon Kulli of Sapë, in northern Albania, speaks of the Albanian martyrs and their witness of hope for the Church, during a visit to the international headquarters of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), as part of this year’s Lent Campaign.

You were born at a time when Christianity was forbidden in Albania. How was faith transmitted in your family during the communist regime?

I was born in Albania 52 years ago, at the height of the communist regime. My childhood was the same as that of all other children in the country, we all suffered equally under communism. Thanks to God, I received the Faith when it didn’t exist in Albania. When I was one week old, my grandparents took me and had me baptised in secret. It was a great miracle that my grandparents transmitted the Faith to me.

We were locked in our country. We were told it was a paradise, that we had everything, and lacked nothing. When the regime fell, we didn’t know anything about the world. We had no idea what Italy, Germany or America were like. There was tremendous poverty, and the regime exploited everyone. It was definitely a very tough life under communism, we were brought up with no faith, no Christ, and no religion.

Msgr. Simon Kulli, Bishop of Sapë, Albania with Sisters, the bishop from Kosovo and Eike - ACN Trip to Albania in November 2024 with Maria Lozano, Magda Kaczmarek, Eike Petersen.

You were baptised in secret. Was the Faith also transmitted secretly?

Yes, my family, especially my grandparents, passed on the Faith. They taught us the prayers, the Our Father, the sign of the Cross, the Hail Mary. But always in secret, in a family setting. We couldn’t speak about it at school or to our friends, otherwise our grandparents would have been arrested. The regime was ferocious, one couldn’t even make the sign of the Cross. At home we would pray the Our Father before meals. I remember that my grandfather used to cross himself facing an empty wall, and I didn’t know why. Later, after the regime fell, he explained that he had embedded a crucifix within the wall.

If I remember correctly, you were not baptised by a priest…

No, it was not a priest, it was Sister María Kaleta, a Stigmatine sister who died three years ago, and who we all called “aunt”, because she was an elderly religious sister who provided these services in secret. She would bring the Blessed Sacrament from prisons, where it was handed to her by incarcerated priests. The priests celebrated clandestinely, and then handed the consecrated hosts to Sister Maria, hidden among their dirty laundry, so that she could take them to the sick. And this baptism that I received was a great gift that the Lord wished to give me, in secret, at the height of the communist regime. If somebody were to discover that I had been baptised, my grandparents and the rest of my family would have been thrown into jail.

Bishop Simon Kulli (Bishop of Sape) celebrating the Holy Mass at the House of Mercy in February 2025, with ACN staff present in the congregation.

For many of us today, the idea of persecution is a far-off reality, but you personally knew victims of persecution. What does that mean to you?

I was fortunate to meet living “martyrs”, those who suffered for years in prison, some for 28 years. When I was just a young boy who suffered the sting of communism, I met Fr Martin Trushi, Fr Shtjefen Pistulli, Cardinal Mikel Kolici, Fr Gjergj Vata, many Jesuits and diocesan priests, and so many others who filled me with great hope. Even though I was never in prison, I felt what it was like to live in a country in which man is deprived of his main sustenance: faith. And these testimonies were a great source of hope for me and my future.

How did you discern your vocation, in a country without faith?

My vocation arose from seeing one of those old priests celebrating mass in Latin in my parish for the first time. It was the first mass after the liberation of faith in Albania. That was the exact moment I felt my vocation. Seeing that suffering priest, who found it so difficult to celebrate mass, who was bent over at the altar because of the years in prison, I thought I could replace him. And that was where my priestly vocation was born. The first person I talked to about this was Sister Maria, the sister who baptised me.

Bishop Simon Kulli (bishop of Sape) with Sister Maria Kaleta and her fellow sisters some years ago. Sister Maria Kaleta was an Albanian nun who secretly baptized babies and brought the faithful Communion during the brutal reign of Enver Hoxha. She died at the age of 92 in January 2022. God rest her soul.

In 2016, the Church officially recognized 38 martyrs in Albania, and another two last year, in 2024. Are their testimonies a source of inspiration for young Albanians today?

Yes, the martyrs who gave their lives for Christ are always the seeds of Christianity, as Tertulian said. I am sure that their blood will produce many vocations and result in many blessings for Albania, which has suffered so much for Christ. They are a great witness for hope which teaches us to be strong in the Faith, to not lose heart, to keep moving ahead. Before giving their lives for Christ, they called out: “Long live Christ the King, Albania and the Pope”. These are words of encouragement also for the young people of today, for the bishops, the priests, male and female religious, and all the Christian people.

Do you have any message for the Christians who currently live in countries where the Faith is persecuted, perhaps with the same experiences you had as a child? What would you say to them?

After death, there is always resurrection. At the end there is a light that illuminates the world. Jesus triumphs over suffering. Stay strong, with no fear, despite the difficulties, the persecution, because Christ always wins. He helps us, He gives us the strength to overcome each difficulty in our life. Move ahead with courage, with prayer and with love, because with Christ you can overcome any difficulty.

Do you have any message for ACN’s benefactors?

I want to thank all ACN’s benefactors, from the bottom of my heart. In the name of the Albanian Church, and as vice-president of the Bishop’s Conference, I express my gratitude for everything you do for Albania and for so many other countries. Your help is a big sign of hope for those who need it most.

May the Lord bless each person who stretches out his hand to the poorest and reward them abundantly for their generosity to the Church and the neediest in the world. A thousand thanks for your support. I thank you with all my heart!