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Catholic Church reacts to protests: Citizens' voices must be heard, politics must find solutions through dialogue

Politiko 2026-06-09 22:09:03

Catholic Church reacts to protests: Citizens' voices must be heard,

The Episcopal Conference of Albania has reacted to recent developments in the country and the protests taking place in Tirana, other cities in Albania and in the diaspora, calling for the voice of citizens to be heard and for politics to respond through democratic dialogue.

In a press statement, the Bishops of the Catholic Church assess that the protests were prompted by concerns related to development projects in protected natural areas and property issues, but emphasize that the broad participation of citizens has also highlighted a broader dissatisfaction with the current political system.

According to the Episcopal Conference, every development project must guarantee environmental protection and respect for property rights.

Full reaction:

Let the voice of the people be heard and political solutions be found within the framework of democracy. PRESS STATEMENT The Episcopal Conference of Albania is carefully following the social developments in our country, especially the protests that are taking place in the city of Tirana, in other cities of Albania and in the diaspora. The reason for these protests has been several projects that affect protected natural areas or where property problems have arisen, in order to build such objects that aim to develop elite tourism. On our part as Bishops of the Catholic Church, we appreciate that any development of the country must take into account the protection of the environment, but also the respect for everyone's property.

Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Letter Laudato si', says: "The prediction of the environmental impact of undertakings and projects requires transparent political processes that are subject to dialogue, while corruption, which hides the true environmental impact of a project in exchange for favors, often leads to unclear agreements that evade the obligation to inform and to an in-depth debate" (LS 182).

In this sense, the assessment, consultation and involvement of local communities living there and of agencies dealing with environmental protection are more than necessary. For us, this is called integral development that must take into account all dimensions of human life, both individual and community. As Saint Paul VI said, this development must involve all people and the whole man (Populorum Progressio, 42).

This is part of the Church's Social Doctrine and we invite that every development project be carried out taking into account, not only the creation of structures as an end in itself, but also that of the human being with his private and community needs and rights. The protests of these days and the participation of many young people and families in them have also highlighted a dissatisfaction with the current political system. This dissatisfaction has been noticed in the participation and articulation of many protesters. The Church does not have the task of finding solutions, but of guiding them. We are convinced that the voice of the people must be heard and read. It is up to politics to find solutions within the political and democratic framework. These are the rules of European democracy where we aspire to go.

The voice of many people whose only agenda is the well-being of their families and society and who express dissatisfaction with the actions or inaction of politics cannot be ignored. The voice of all must be heard and evaluated with care and respect by politics, the government and the opposition. We invite political representatives to choose the dialogue table, to give the right answers to the ordinary citizens of our people who demand not to be overlooked, to listen to the voice of young people who have the right to build their lives here, without fatally succumbing to the loss of hope and the path of emigration, a wound that in recent years has the name of depopulation of the country.

We pray to God for our people, for politics and for all people of good will in this country, to find, along with the path of political and social dialogue, the right solutions within the political and democratic frameworks of a country that aims for European integration. God bless Albania!