Vatican Paper Decries Vandalism Of Cross In Albania
ICC Note: This disturbing news is evidence that Albanian Muslims, many of whom are rallying for an independent Kosovo, do harbor hatred towards all Christians, not just the ethnic Serbian Orthodox.
1/11/06 Albania (CWNews.com) The official Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano has protested the destruction of a large cross which had been placed on a hill in Albania . The cross was torn down as Muslims observed their feast of Eid el Adha, the feast of the sacrifice, commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son.
Noting that this “episode of intolerance” was clearly aimed at Christians, the Vatican newspaper recalled the words of Pope John Paul II (bio – news), during his trip to Austria in June 1998. The late Pontiff said that while Christians can do without many things, “we can never allow the Cross, the sign of salvation, to be taken away from us.”
On January 10, two men cut through the base of a large wooden cross that had been set up on a prominent hill in the Scutari region. The cross had been a focal point of disagreements between the Catholics of the village where it was located and the Muslims in surrounding towns. The incident took place at a time when Albania ‘s President Alfred Moisu was visiting the Scutari region for the Eid el Adha festival.
Muslims form the majority of the Albanian people, accounting for about 70 percent of the population. Another 20 percent are Orthodox, and 10 percent Catholic.
