AND KOSOVO

NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA

V.1 MOTHER TERESA'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ALBANIA AND KOSOVO

Dr. Nora Maliqi Zylali

Mother Teresa at the airport of Tirana, R. of Albania

After many years of insistent requests to the communist government, finally, in August of the year 1989, Mother Teresa managed to come to Albania and with this visit she realized the great wish she had long ago. She, although far from the country of her ancestors, still kept it in her heart and this was expressed in her words after leaving Albania "I visited my beloved country Albania and met my people".

The official opinion of that time considered it a “private visit.” Mother Teresa's arrival in Albania was presented with controlled news, by offering people a visit to the martyrs' cemetery and the graves of mother Drane and

sister Age in the Tirana cemetery, where she was accompanied by Marie Kraja. She also visited the Oncology Hospital, accompanied by Dr. Adelina Mazreku.

During her first visit, she met with President Ramiz Alia. Throughout the conversation, Mother Teresa simply spoke very openly with him and with a lot of motherly love, by calling him "my son".

Alia tried to be friendly, but did not hesitate to lie to her, by telling her that there were no poor or abandoned people in Albania. He even denied the request to open the house of the charity mission, where she had opened such in 96 different countries of the world, including the most developed ones such as the USA, England, Canada, Italy, France, etc.

On this visit, Mother Teresa was accompanied by the American journalist Janette Petriè, whom no one paid attention to. On August 8th, Mother Teresa left Albania.

In December 1990, Mother Teresa returned to Albania together with her 80 years of a demanding life on her shoulders. So, this time, she got a ground floor house with a small yard, in an alley of "Siri Kodra" street. The sisters and Mother Teresa's first mission were settled there.

Moments from the visit and meetings of Mother Teresa in her beloved Albania

NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA

In August 1992, Mother Teresa came back to Albania to continue her charitable activities. During August 1992, at the Palace of Congresses, was a organized a conference in honor of Mother Teresa, and the same was attended by the President of the Republic Sali Berisha and the Apostolic Nuncio of the Vatican, Monsignor Dias. President Berisha wished Mother Teresa a happy birthday, greeted her and congratulated her on her contribution as a missionary in the renewal of the Christian faith and culture in Albania.

Moments from Mother Teresa's second visit to Albania, hosted by the President of Albania Mr. Sali Berisha and First Lady Lirije Berisha

Until the year 1993, Mother Teresa came to Albania 5 times, but the country in a transition situation out of the communist crisis has not made much of its media presence. So there were realized five visits of Mother Teresa in Albania, but some of them passed in silence. However, the time context in which these visits took place is quite important for political developments. Most former communist countries were experiencing the

transition of power with pain, in some of them, even, as in Romania, there were executions of former communist leaders. But Albania was an exception. Albania went through great political turmoil, accompanied by protests and public discontent, but the transfer of power from the Communists to the Democrats, or from Ramiz Alia to Sali Berisha (19911992), was smooth. There was no bloodshed and state machinery was not used to suppress the protests, as happened in some countries of the Eastern Bloc. In the background of all these dramatic years, which marked the greatest turn in history after the Second World War, stood a sublime figure which radiated peace, kindness and love for humanity. Similar to a theater stage, where behind the curtain stands the actor who is getting ready to enter the play, was also Mother Teresa, who with her human tenderness and warmth reflected on the developments in Albania and this was seen in the years of transfer of the power from the communists into the hands of the democrats. It is exactly the time that coincides with her visits to Albania, when she is decorated by the Presidium of the People's Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Albania, with the Order "Naim Frashëri" - Class I, signed by President Ramiz Alia.

The presence of Mother Teresa had become part of the state protocols of Albania at that time, but also of the interest of the Albanian state for her and her family's past. This fact gives us to understand that this interest was not accidental and that the Albanian state needed to correct the mistakes of the past, restoring to Mother Teresa the missing respect from the time of Enver Hoxha. This is also due to the fact that in this figure, the communist power that was about to surrender before the great democratic changes, found a peaceful reference to support its non-conflicting policies.

NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA

V.2. On the support of her people:

MOTHER TERESA TO BILL CLINTON: "MY SON, DO SOMETHING FOR MY ALBANIANS!"

Former US President Bill Clinton, on several occasions has mentioned Mother Teresa as the inspiration for his policy towards Kosovo. A new piece of evidence comes this time that confirms Clinton's connection to Mother Teresa

In a video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=35&v= O2Jh6U4m2Yo&feature=emb_logo) circulating on the Internet, writer Ismail Kadare is heard saying that Mother Teresa had called then-US President Bill Clinton, and saying: "My son, do something for my Albanians!".

Thus, with this phone call, she had helped him make the difficult decision (according to Kadare), that of ordering to bomb Serbia, which was conducting a bloody military campaign in Kosovo with the aim of ethnic cleansing.

While, according to statements circulating in the media, the then president Bill Clinton had said: “Mother Teresa was the first one who made me love the Albanian nation. "And now I feel very proud that I fulfilled a moral duty towards her and the values of freedom."

One of the most famous sayings of former US President Bill Clinton

V.3. The talk between former Albanian president and Mother Teresa

RAMIZ ALIA: I CAN'T GIVE YOU A HOME, THE CONSTITUTION DOES NOT ALLOW ME!

Mother Teresa in a meeting with the former President of Albania, Mr. Ramiz Alia

According to a research conducted by Kastriot Dervishi, it turns out that Ramiz Alia - Chairman of the Presidium of the People's Assembly met with Mother Teresa a few days before the official announcement of political pluralism. In the relevant minutes dated on 4.12.1990, is noted as the meeting with the "well known charity with Albanian origin". On the agenda of the meeting was the bringing of 4 sisters to open the charitable mission. Mother Teresa's charitable mission had this time in 94 countries of the world: 2 thousand sisters, 440 houses, but none in her homeland poisoned by communism. Ramiz Alia did not give her a home for her mission. Allegedly hindered by the constitution. In the most

NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA

unconstitutional state of Europe, Ramiz Alia spoke about constitutions and laws. It is interesting that Mother Teresa remembered in Albanian language the expression "pray for me".

Excerpt from Ramiz Alia's conversation with Mother Teresa

Ramiz Alia: I have been following you constantly, because you are not only Mother Teresa of Calcutta, but also Mother Teresa of Albania.

Mother Teresa: I am Albanian and, at the same time, I connect Albania with India. I have been living in India for 62 years and I have Indian citizenship. I have been there since I was 18 years old.

Ramiz Alia: Yes,but you have not forgotten Albania

Mother Teresa: I have not forgotten Albania, but I have no one to speak Albanian with there.

Ramiz Alia: Do you know any Albanian words?

Mother Teresa: I know, for example "pray for me" etc. I wrote you some words in Albanian for the first time after so many years.

Ramiz Alia: I received the letters. Thank you very much. Those letters were full of love and warmth for the Albanian people and for me.

Further the debate revolves around Mother Teresa’s request to launch her charitable mission. She reminds Ramiz Alia that in Moscow they had organized a mission where they served 600 elderly or disabled people. Alia replies that in Albania the state did everything because they had conditions, doctors, nurses, free health care, etc. Continuation of the conversation:

Mother Teresa: Just to care for and serve these people (the sick and the unfortunate-note). Not even money, we aren’t asking for nothing else.

Ramiz Alia: We also do not have (sick and unfortunate-note), we are free. So I said to my mother, do you want me to be a good president or a bad president?

Mother Teresa: I pray for you!

Ramiz Alia: In order to be a good president, I have no other choice.

Mother Teresa: If you give me a house, you will be a good president, not a bad one. The people of Albania, the Albanians, love me very much.

Ramiz Alia: I know, but it is against the law.

Mother Teresa: For such charity work, love has no laws.

Ramiz Alia: Let me tell you the law. Today, when it was announced that Mother Teresa had arrived in Albania, the Islamists of Saudi Arabia asked to come to Albania to help open the mosque. How do I do that?

Mother Teresa: Let me tell you, I will give Mother Teresa a mosque for a church.

Ramiz Alia: No, I can not say tha, because the constitution does not allow me, the laws do not allow me. I will tell them only when the law changes. Why did I told you for 4th of March, because I anticipate that in February we will have elections and we will change the constitution. So then, even legally I will be with a clear conscience in front of everyone and the first thing I will do will be for Mother Teresa. Namely the first favor will be for Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa: It's a very long time until March.

Ramiz Alia: It is only 3 months. We will fix it, we have an institution for handicapped children and adults. We have doctors and nurses, but your sisters can help there. That would be a good thing. / 55

Document:The letter that Mother Teresa sent to the President of Albania, Mr. Ramiz Alia

NGA GONXHE BOJAXHIU DERI TE NËNË TEREZA FROM GONXHE BOJAXHIU TO MOTHER THERESA

V.4. Biographical calendar:

THE LIFE AND WORK OF THE SAINT, MOTHER TERESA

"By blood I am Albanian; by citizenship, Indian. In terms of faith, I am a Catholic nun. According to the vocation, I belong to the world. But my heart belongs entirely to the Heart of Christ."

These are the words of the radiant messenger of God's love, Mother Teresa. She was born on 26th of August, 1910 in Skopje, an Albanian city located at the crossroads of Balkan history.

The youngest of the five children of Nikolle and Drane Bojaxhiu, was baptized with the name Gonxhe Anjeze.

She received her first communion when she was five and a half years old, and was baptized in November 1916.

With the sudden death of her father, when Anjeze was only 8 years old, economic difficulties began for their family. In the 1920s, the family lived in a rented house in Tirana, facing difficulties living together with her mother Drane and sister Age.

At the age of 18, in September 1928, Gonxhe said goodbye to her mother and sister Age, and entered the Institute “Sister’s of Loreto” in Ireland. There she took the name Sister Mary Teresa, in honor of St. Teresa of Christ the Child.

In December, she departed for India. Arrived in Calcutta on January 6th, 1929, and in May 1931, Sister Teresa was sent to the community of Loreto, in Italia, where she taught at the Santa Maria School for Girls and was later appointed as school principal. On 24th of May, 1937, Sister Teresa became the "Daughter of Jesus" for "eternity." From that day on she was called Mother Teresa.

On December 10, 1946, while traveling by train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, Mother Teresa felt the new "inspiration." She began to hear a voice speaking to her soul and seeing visions.

Jesus asked Mother Teresa to establish a community with the Missionaries of Charity, who would dedicate themselves to service to the poor.

On 17th of August, 1948, for the first time she wore the white saree with blue sides and left behind the railings of the Loreto Congregation, where she taught for 20 years. She returned again in Calcutta, where on December 21st, she stepped for the first time in the poor neighborhoods and cared for the poor.

On October 7th of the year 1950, the Archdiocese of Calcutta formally recognized the new Congregation of the Missionaries of Charity. In 1960, Mother Teresa began sending her sisters to all parts of India. In February 1965, the pope encouraged her to open a missionary home in Venezuela. After that, other missionary houses were established in Rome and Tanzania and on all continents. From 1980 to 1990, Mother Teresa opened missionary homes in almost all communist countries, including the former Soviet Union, Albania, and Cuba.

During these years she deserved many awards for her work, starting with the Indian Padmashri Prize, in 1962, to continue with the important Nobel Peace Prize, in 1979.

In March 1997 Mother Teresa, as she had met Pope John Paul II, returned to Calcutta where she spent the last weeks of her life waiting for visitors and giving advice to her sisters.

On September 5th, 1997, Mother Teresa's earthly life reached its final destination. The Indian government honored her with the state funeral, at the end of which her body was buried in the Mother House of Charity Missionaries.

Pope John Paul II, on 20st of December , 2002 approved the decree on heroic virtues and miracles performed through the mediation of Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa was beatified on October 19th, 2003, the 29th Sunday of the church year, World Missionary Day.

On December 17th, 2015, Pope Francis recognized the miracle and signed the decree for the canonization of Mother Teresa, recognizing the miracle performed through her mediation: the healing of a Brazilian believer suffering from a brain tumor.

The date of canonization was set for 4th of June, 2016: Sunday, on September 4th, 2016, in St. Peter's Basilica, in Vatican, Mother Teresa to be recognized as a Saint…