Dedë Malaj

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Dedë Malaj (born November 16, 1920 , according to another source November 16, 1917 in northern Albania ; † May 11 or 12, 1959 on the shores of Lake Shkodër ) was a Roman Catholic priest who lived in the atheist Albania of the Enver Hoxha regime was arrested, tortured and shot for his beliefs. He is one of the Thirty-Eight Martyrs of Albania .

Life

The information on the date and place of birth vary: one source mentions the village of Mali Kolaj near Velipoja as the place of birth and November 16, 1917 as the birthday. Other authors give the information Selca e Vermoshit ( Malësia e Madhe ) and November 16, 1920.

Dedë Malaj attended primary school in Shkodra , then the Jesuit grammar school and was among other things a student of the German-born priest Dom Alfons Tracki , who was active in Albania . He studied philosophy and theology at the College of the Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith in Rome . Three different dates are given for his ordination: December 20, 1942 in Castelgandolfo , as early as 1941 in Genazzano near Rome or as early as 1939 in Genazzano.

Malaj returned to Albania and in the following years was pastor in Obot, Samrisht, Velipoja and Dajç, all places on the lower reaches of the Buna . In the rectory in Dajç, a parsonage hired by the communist state security worked and passed on information about Dedë Malaj. He had previously spoken out clearly against any kind of concessions to the communist rulers in internal church discussions and tried to contact the Vatican . In addition, he had sent a list of the Albanian priests who had already been shot under the communist regime.

He was arrested on November 7, 1958. Accused with him were Father Konrrad Gjolaj and five other men, who were each given prison terms. At the court hearing, which was broadcast to the summoned population by loudspeaker, the allegation was that the two priests were leaders of a Yugoslav spy group . Among other things, a lifebuoy that had been found in the rectory and was used as the “escape steamer of the Yugoslav secret service” served as “proof”. Father Konrrad Gjolaj was sentenced to 25 years in prison and later wrote a book in detail about his memories of the murdered clergy, including Dedë Malaj. Dedë Malaj was sentenced to death by shooting on April 27, 1959 and shot on a meadow in front of Shkodra near the lake on May 11 or 12. He was buried at this point.

A child's request

A thirteen-year-old orphaned niece of Dedë Malaj, Drandja, was given the opportunity to travel to Tirana, where she wanted to ask for the life of her uncle , with the support of the later also executed priests Marin Shkurti and Pjetër Gruda . She was received by Nexhmije Hoxha , Enver Hoxha's wife. Drandja said with tears in her eyes that she had no one in the whole world but her uncle. Nexhmije Hodscha countered her: “ Why do you stand up for him? He is an enemy of the people. "The written answer to Drandja's request came a few days later:" Your request is refused. "

last words

The words: “Maledictus homo qui credit in hominem!” (“Cursed the person who puts his trust in people”, Jer 17,5  EU ) were written on the door of his prison cell, in which he spent the last days of his life .

Father Konrrad Gjolaj passed on Dedë Malaj's last words before the shooting: “I am proud that I was shot as a Catholic priest, for Albania and for my Catholic faith. ... I am sorry for the little niece who is now left without a person. I ask everyone to care for them ... "

beatification

The beatification of Dedë Malaj and 37 other martyrs took place on November 5, 2016 in Shkodra. The Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints , Cardinal Angelo Amato , presided over the celebrations on behalf of Pope Francis .

literature

  • Markus WE Peters: History of the Catholic Church in Albania 1919–1993. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-447-04784-4 .
  • Pjetër Pepa: Tragjedia dhe Lavdia e Klerit Katolik në Shqipëri. Volume II. Shtëpia Botuese 55, Tirana 2007, ISBN 978-99943-921-6-2 , pp. 330-334.
  • Konrrad Gjolaj: Çinaret. Shkodra 2006.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Dom Dedë Malaj. (No longer available online.) In: Kisha Katolikë në Shqipëri (Arqipeshkvia Shkodër-Pult). Formerly in the original ; Retrieved July 24, 2016 (Albanian).  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.kishakatolikeshkoder.com  
  2. ↑ Pjetër Pepa: Tragjedia dhe Lavdia e Klerit Katolik në Shqipëri . tape II . Shtëpia Botuese 55, Tirana 2007, ISBN 978-99943-921-6-2 , p. 330 . ;
    Markus WE Peters: History of the Catholic Church in Albania 1919–1993 . Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2003, ISBN 3-447-04784-4 , p. 278 . ;
    Peters cites Bernhard Tönnes: Faith in God also lives in Albania . In: Church in Need . No. 31 , 1983, pp. 201-208 .
personal data
SURNAME Malaj, Dedë
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Roman Catholic priest and martyr
DATE OF BIRTH November 16, 1917 or November 16, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH uncertain: Mali Kolaj , Albania
DATE OF DEATH May 11, 1959 or May 12, 1959
Place of death Shkodra , Albania