“Peace is always possible”

On September 6 to 8, Tirana was the capital of peace and religious harmony in the world. Peace, religious tolerance and dialogue were the motto of the 28th International Meeting for Peace in honor of the 20th anniversary of the end of the cold war in the Balkans.
The meeting, under the slogan “Peace is always possible”, was organized by the Sant’Egidio Community, in cooperation with the Episcopal Conference of Albania, the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania and the Albanian Government.

The Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama, the Cabinet and many other guests were present at the opening session of the meeting.
Meanwhile, in the meeting on September 7, at the Palace of Congresses the message of Pope Francis was read, recalling the visit in Albania, in September of last year: “I chose Albania as the first European country to visit, to encourage the religious coexistence.”
Then a speech was given by the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama. He welcomed those who were present, particularly the clergy come from Iraq, the country which, according to him, the Pope called the country of religious brotherhood and clergy, addressing the words: “You have my highest appreciation not only for what you institutionally represent, but also for the spiritual dimension you convey in the difficult times we live in”.
During the activities held in the frame of this meeting, representatives of world religious beliefs (Muslims, Catholics, Orthodoxies, Protestants, Jewish, Buddhists, etc.) from Italy, Germany, France, Turkey, Belgium, Iraq, Israel, India Russia, Indonesia, Cyprus, Japan, China, Australia and many other countries from Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America were invited to participate. There were even prominent personalities of politics, historians, philosophers, international development experts, representatives of academia, journalists, theologians, and well-known writers invited.
After the opening ceremony of the meeting on Monday and Tuesday meetings were held with various panels about international developments.
Concrete proposals were to say “Stop!” to conflicts in the world, coming from countries in conflict, such as Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Mindnao (Philippines) and Libya. Youth activities enriched the event with the theme “There is no future without peace.” The third day declared the “Appeal for Peace” throughout the world, where each participant was invited to sign it. The planting of the first tree of Peace by all heads of religious beliefs was the closure of the event.
“The Albanian Organization of the Order of Malta” was present at the meeting with representatives of staff and volunteers during the 3 days of the various meetings. More specifically, they participated in the panels: “Europe at the Crossroads”; “Albania, the country of coexistence”; “Martyrs: how features of Christianity change”; “Peace is always possible”, etc.