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E-TJERA

Dom Gjergj Meta wishes all Christians a happy Easter

Politiko 2025-04-19 09:38:28

The President of the Episcopal Conference of Albania, Archbishop Gjergj Meta, has sent a congratulatory message on behalf of the entire Catholic Church in Albania.

Stressing the importance of this holy day, he conveyed his congratulations not only to Catholic believers, but also to Orthodox and Evangelical believers.

This is because this year Easter is celebrated on the same day by all branches of Christianity in the country.

Easter greetings from Dom Gjergj Meta:

Dear friends,

As always, due to my commitment and being a bishop in a Diocese that includes a poor and depopulated territory, especially in these days of preparation for Easter, I have encountered situations of poverty and economic and human misery, which often escape the spotlight of the media, and even our own religious care, since it often happens that we care more about the pomp of our celebrations than about the lives of people. I do not hide that not infrequently I am overcome by a certain sadness and my words, which aim to bring the word of God, I see as powerless in the face of many situations of pain and suffering that sometimes exceed our imagination.

I wonder what words I can say during these days? Do my words have value in the face of the pain and suffering of many people, be they physical, spiritual or even moral? While everyone in our communities tries to capture the largest possible audience on social networks, to "advertise" sacred things, in many families in villages, but also in urban areas, calcified situations of pain and suffering are consumed. I am sure that God, more than anywhere, is there, often silent and I would say powerless to change anything outside the lives of these people, for the simple fact that He has left this mission to us. He changes our hearts and we can and must change our reality.

Therefore, making an Easter greeting is a great responsibility, as we risk falling into the usual clichés, into the words that are used every time, but that increasingly remove the holiday from the lives of many people. If Christ, with his death, defeated death, as an old Easter hymn sung these days says, he has left us, with our commitment, to become Easter for others, especially for those who are in the chains of injustice, violence, war and difficult existential situations. There is no point in wishing Easter if you do not become Easter yourself. But to become Easter, you must first become the Cross, to descend into the tomb and from there to announce the good news of life that bursts forth from the Easter night. Only in this way, by descending into the open tombs of many social and spiritual situations, can you become a messenger of the new day.

This year, Easter fell on the same day for all Christians: Catholics, Orthodox, and Evangelicals. It is a beautiful occasion for us to celebrate and rejoice together, even though each in their own communities.

Let us be Easter first in our lives and thus proclaim the endless day of Christ's victory over death. Of course, all this will happen in the liturgies and services that we will hold in our churches, but we must shout this out loud in the streets and in the situations of everyday people, especially those who, for one reason or another, find themselves on the cross, are in the graves of suffering and misery due to war, division, anger and resentment. Only in this way will we have truly celebrated Easter.

I greet you all, Catholics, Orthodox and Evangelicals, with the greeting of Christians: Christ is risen! Truly he is risen!