A note on Albania

Abstract

Hard facts about the religious situation in Albania have been hard to come by. The section on Albania in Discretion and Valour* was the least satisfactory. But the recent break in the close relations between Albania and China shows that something is moving. Sooner or later there will emerge more ways of penetrating the curtain of secrecy. Even now a systematic enquiry for crumbs of information from the Albanian minori. ties in Yugoslavia and Southern Italy would begin to. build up a picture. And this should be done. But so far in Keston College we have lacked resources to study Albania as we would wish. Unfortunately none of us knows Albanian. But there are strong links between the Greek province of Epiros and Southern Albania which the Greeks call Northern Epiros. The population is mixed on both sides of the border and many Greek families have relatives in Albania. . In these circumstances· some news if not much does come across the border. And it is possible to read the Albanian newspapers which, like those in other communist countries, sometimes reveal more than they intend. The relevant information is now being collected in Greece and some of it is published in modern Greek, a language which is more widely accessible than Albanian. I recommend particularly To Lykophos Ton Theon Stin Alvania (The Twilight . of the Gods in Albania,· 72 pp. no price), published in Chicago in I976 by the Panepirotic Federation of America and Canada. t . Albania is the only country in the world where all manifestations of religion are forbidden by law and, when detected, are severely punished. Yet it is clear that religious faith and religious practice continue. The pamphlet referred to above is ,valuable for giving Greek translations of