Religion and beliefs in Albania were a concern for the communist regime since the first years after the war. Belief in God and all religious practices did not go hand in hand with communist ideology. Therefore, the regime's leaders, mainly oriented by Moscow, had occasionally undertaken some interventions in government policies towards religions, and in some cases even in the internal affairs of communities. Enver Hoxha camouflaged his government's interventions in religious affairs in the name of the emancipation of the people. And until 1955, quite a few interventions had been made. But in 1955, the influence of the Soviet Union in religious matters in Albania had been quite visible.
Two documents preserved in the archival fund of the Council of Ministers in the Central State Archives reveal, in addition to Moscow's influence and interference in religious matters in Albania, the real extent of the communist regime's "reforms" in relation to religions in our country.
The first document, dated December 28, 1955, is a report of the visit of the First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy, Vasil Siminev, to the Prime Minister's offices in Tirana, on December 27, 1955, who requested explanations for a long series of issues related to the state of religion in Albania in 1955. Reshat Gërmenji, the chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs, informed Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu of the list of requests and questions that Vasil Siminev had addressed to him regarding the state of religions and beliefs in Albania.
He was interested in the basis on which religion was organized and whether there was a law on religions, whether they were autocephalous or with foreign connections, what influence they had on the people, whether they received subsidies from the state or how their budget was controlled, and even the interest in wearing the veil, or the exact statistics on the percentage of the population according to beliefs in large cities...! The questions he addresses to Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu aim to reveal the real extent of the influence of religion in Albania.
Among the long list of questions from the Russian secretary, his interest in; "what kind of cadre do they have and do they have a school for clergy" stands out? This issue has been seen by the regime since this time, until the complete closure of churches and mosques, as an "Achilles heel", to minimize the strength of religious communities as much as possible.
And it seems that this "homework" from Moscow was rigorously implemented by Enver Hoxha. In 1967, before launching the final blow, Enver Hoxha singled out the issue of the religious cadre as a pillar on which the regime should be supported, since without cadres and religious education, religions in Albania would gradually move towards their elimination.
Following this information about this visit, the Committee for Religious Affairs had prepared a detailed report on the state of religions in Albania. The report is the second document we spoke about above. In it we find valuable data on the statistics of this period in terms of religious beliefs, but also the real extent of the regime's tendency to intervene as deeply as possible in the internal affairs of religious communities.
Below we bring exclusively two documents from December 1955 on the state of religions in Albania, which reveal an important station in the war against religion, coinciding with the time when Moscow's influence on the Albanian communist regime was at its peak.
The first document
INFORMATION ON THE FIRST SECRETARY OF THE SOVIET EMBASSY, WHO IS REQUESTING SOME DATA ON RELIGION IN OUR COUNTRY
SHOCK
premier
On 27/XII/1955, the First Secretary of the Soviet Embassy, Comrade Vasil Siminev, met with me here at the Prime Minister's Office. I had Qemal Shehu as my translator.
I am looking for some information about religion in our country:
On what basis is religion organized and is there law?
How many types of religions are there and how are they organized?
Are they autocephalous or not, and do they have external connections?
The influence they have on the people?
What kind of staff do they have and do they have a school for clergy?
What culture do they have and who has more?
Where did they get their culture?
Are they given subsidies by the State and why are they given?
Who do they get their income from?
Are there laws that the state should help with?
How is their budget controlled by the state?
When there are official holidays and for deaths, do the bells ring?
Regions (counties) that are most religious?
Is the ongoing ritual a religious influence or a custom?
What if young people come to churches and mosques?
In the largest cities, which religion has the most people?
How has anti-religious propaganda been put into practice from a scientific perspective?
Apart from the first point, I have not answered the other points. He asked me when will you answer me? I told him, I will let you know when I have them ready.
Please guide me on how I should answer them, should I give them in writing, or should I take notes, and should I answer the questions in detail?
How will I respond to anti-religious propaganda using scientific means?
For the Committee on Clerical Affairs:
(Reshat Germenji)
28/XII/195
On 3/I/956, it was returned to me by Comrade Beqir Balluku, giving you a copy.
The second document
report
ON THE STATE OF THE CHURCH IN ALBANIA
The entire Albania has a population of 1.394.310. Of these, 71.20% are Muslim, 18.56% Orthodox, 10.18% Catholic, 0.06% other.
1. On what basis is religion organized and are there laws?
In the People's Republic of Albania, there are four communities and five religious sects, which have been organized for a long time. In 1949, the decree-law on religious communities No. 743 dated 26/XI/1949 was issued, which speaks about the organization of religious communities.
- How many types of religions are there and how are they organized?
There are three types of religion; Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic. Muslims are divided into two communities, which are the Bektashis who have their own community, these were a sect, but in 1928 the leader of the Bektashis who was based in Istanbul (Turkey), was expelled from Turkey in that year and came and settled in Albania, since he was Albanian and managed to become a global community, whose name was Niazi Sali Dedej, he was elected by all the Bektashi believers of the world, he was killed by the Italian fascists, in 1941.
Five other religious sects are dependent on the Muslim community, which are called Alveti, Rrufai, Kadri, Sadi and Tixhani. All four communities are organized, where they each have a general council, which is the highest body of the community, it meets once a year and makes decisions, for appointments or dismissals of senior staff (dioceses) it reviews and approves the annual budget. All communities have their own statutes and administrative regulations.
- Are they autocephalous and do they have external connections?
Since all of them are autocephalous, none of them have any administrative dependence from outside. Before the liberation of Albania, the Catholics were dependent on the Pope of Rome, but in 1952, the Catholics made their own statute and regulations and are self-administered.
- The influence they have on the people.
They have no influence over the majority of the population, either as a religion or as a clergyman. What little influence they have, they have most in the rural and highland areas, where there is little culture, and here it is more as a religion, and as a clergyman they have less influence.
- What kind of staff do they have and do they have schools for clergy?
As per their rule, the main cadres are complete, for example, Muslims have the mayor and three chief muftis of the zones and 7 muftis of the regions, as well as 18 sub-muftis of the districts.
The Orthodox have the president (archbishop) and 4 bishops of the dioceses, as well as 17 local vice-presidents.
The Catholics have a president with an assistant bishop and 6 capitular vicars.
The Bektashis have a leader (the patriarch) and 6 regional patriarchs. They are generally lacking in lower clergy, but especially in Orthodox and Catholics.
The Muslim community has only one school for clergy, with 60 students, where they continue for 4 years. Students must have completed 7 years of school when they are accepted.
They find it difficult to find students from year to year, most of whom come are the children of religious people.
Orthodox and Catholics have learned from people who have been to religious schools and seminaries, because before liberation, Catholics had schools and Orthodox had seminaries.
- What kind of culture do they have and who has more?
In general, with the exception of Catholics, they are low in culture. Whereas Catholics are generally cultured, because they all have theology.
- Where did they get their culture?
Most Muslims received their education in Albania because there were religious schools, the rest received their culture in Turkey (Istanbul).
The Orthodox received about half of their education in Albania through seminaries, the rest in Greece, and a small portion in Romania.
The majority of Catholics have settled in Italy and a portion in Germany and Albania.
Bektashis are generally self-taught, they have not had Bektashi schools, a small portion have had some state education.
- Are they given subsidies by the state and why?
They were given a subsidy by the state, as they were very tight on budget to cover staff salaries, and this subsidy has been reduced from year to year.
- Who do they get their income from?
Their income comes from a small piece of land that was left to them, from the rents of some small buildings they own, and from donations from believers during holidays, as well as subsidies provided by the state.
- Are there laws that the state should help with?
There are no laws to help the clergy, in their statutes and in the decree-law on religious communities, it is stated that the state may eventually provide them with subsidies.
- How is their budget controlled by the state?
Their budget is not controlled by the state, but if there is financial evidence of theft, it intervenes and takes the matter to court, as there have been such cases in the Bektashi and Muslim communities.
- When there are official holidays and for deaths, the bells ring.
The ringing of the bells was greatly exaggerated, the bells rang almost all day long, this was more developed by Catholics, and there was even a complaint from the people.
In 1955, they were allowed to ring the bells according to their own rules, but on Sundays and holidays, which are the most important days of the year, they are not allowed to ring for death. This is in the cities, while in the villages it is left to them according to their own rules.
- Regions (counties) that are more religious.
The most religious regions are Shkodra, Elbasan, Durrës, Tirana, Berat and Korça. With the exception of Shkodra and Elbasan, the other regions in the city are not very religious, as the religious population is that of the villages.
- The continuing trend is religious influence or custom.
A small number of women who wear the veil are in Shkodra and the Kavaja district of Durrës. If you look at the families of women who wear the veil, they are quite low in terms of culture, so religious pressure has long been a habit for them to wear the veil.
- If young people come to churches and mosques.
Before liberation, especially in churches and mosques, more young people came than old people, but after liberation, the number of young people has decreased significantly, especially in Orthodox mosques and churches, while in Catholic churches, there are still young people who come, especially in the villages of the highlands.
- In the largest cities, which religion has the most people?
Tirana is 80% Muslim, 16% Orthodox, 4% Catholic.
Shkodra is 53% Catholic, 45% Muslim, 2% Orthodox.
Durrës is 81% Muslim, 15% Orthodox, 4% Catholic.
Elbasan is 90% Muslim, 9.6% Orthodox, 0.4% Catholic.
Korça is 61% Muslim, 39% Orthodox.
Gjirokastra is 60% Orthodox, 40% Muslim.
Vlora is 62% Muslim, 28% Orthodox.
Berat is 85% Muslim, 15% Orthodox.
- How anti-religious propaganda has been put into practice by science.
For anti-religious propaganda, books (brochures) on science and religion, on Catholicism, were published, some clergymen were put in the magazine 'Hosteni' and the newspaper 'Bashkimi' on occasions making mascots or singing to the sick. In groups of workers (other camps) they were explained about natural phenomena (sun, moon, earth, rain, etc.). When there were films like 'Zekthi' etc., they were propagated so that the masses attended them more.
