The Catholic Church in Albania () is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. At the 2023 census, the percentage of Catholics was 8.38%, making Catholicism the largest form of Christianity in Albania.
Catholicism is strongest in the northwestern part of the country, which historically had the most readily available contact with, and support from, Rome and the Republic of Venice. Mirditë has the highest concentration of Catholics, while Shkodër is the center of Catholicism in Albania. More than 20,000 Albanian Catholics are located in Montenegro, mostly in Ulcinj, Bar, Podgorica, Tuzi, Gusinje and Plav. The region is considered part of the Malsia Highlander region of the seven Albanian Catholic tribes. The region was split from the Ottoman Albania after the First Balkan War. There are also scattered Albanian Catholics in Kosovo and North Macedonia, with the greatest concentration being in the vicinity of Gjakova.
There are five dioceses in the country, including two archdioceses plus an Apostolic Administration covering southern Albania. Caritas Albania is the official social arm of the Church.
History
Early Church in Albania
Christianity in Albania began when Christians arrived in Illyria soon after the time of Jesus, with Saint Caesar of Dyrrhachium being appointed as the bishop of Dyrrhachium (Epidamnus) in 58 AD.History of Albania | Serbia, Flag, Map, Country, & Kosovo | Britannica www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2025-03-17. Christianity also came to Epirus nova, then part of the Roman province of Macedonia.
Since the 3rd and 4th century AD, Christianity had become the established religion in Byzantium, supplanting pagan polytheism and eclipsing for the most part the humanistic world outlook and institutions inherited from the Greek and Roman civilizations. The Durrës Amphitheatre (Albanian: Amfiteatri i Durrësit) is a historic monument from the time period located in Durrës, Albania, that was used to preach Christianity to civilians during that time. When the Roman Empire was divided into eastern and western halves in AD 395, Illyria east of the Drinus River (Drina between Bosnia and Serbia), including the lands form Albania, were administered by the Eastern Empire but were ecclesiastically dependent on Rome.
Though the country was in the fold of Byzantium, Christians in the region remained under the jurisdiction of the Pope until 732. In that year the iconoclast Byzantine emperor Leo III, angered by archbishops of the region because they had supported Rome in the Iconoclastic Controversy, detached the church of the province from the Roman pope and placed it under the patriarch of Constantinople.
Middle Ages
The church in Albania during the Middle Ages was evenly split between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. The Arbanasi (Old south Slavic word for Albanians) are recorded as being 'half-believers' (Roman Catholics) and speaking their own language in a Bulgarian text found in a Serbian manuscript dating to 1628; the text was written by an anonymous author that according to Radoslav Grujić (1934) dated to the reign of Samuel of Bulgaria (997–1014), or possibly, according to R. Elsie, 1000–1018.Robert Elsie: Texts and Documents of Albanian History Retrieved 2025-03-17.
Catholic Church in Arbanon
In 1166, we know that prior Arbanensis Andrea and episcopis Arbanensis Lazarus who were the Bishops of Arbanum participated in a Roman Catholic ceremony held in Kotor.Thalóczy-Jireček-Sufflay 1913, p. 31Anamali, Skënder; Prifti, Kristaq (2002). Historia e popullit shqiptar në katër vëllime (in Albanian). Botimet Toena
A year later in 1167, Pope Alexander III, in a letter directed to Lazarus, congratulates him for returning his bishopric to Catholic faith and invites him to acknowledge the archbishop of Ragusa as his superior. After some resistance from local officials, the bishopric of Arbanon was put under the direct dependence of the Pope, as documented in a Papal letter dated in 1188. Later according to the Geziq inscription, Demetrio Progoni, who had been reaccepted in the Catholic Church, had provided funds for the building of the church, which he might have planned to become the seat of the Diocese of Arbanum or a new diocese in the centre of his remaining domain. This is indicated by the fact that the new church was constructed on the site of an older church dedicated to St. Mary (Shën Mëri) but Progoni dedicated the new church to Shën Premte, the patron saint of Arbanum.Zamputi, Injac (1984). Rindërtimi i mbishkrimit të Arbërit dhe mundësitë e reja për leximin e tij / La reconstruction de l'inscription de l'Arbër et les nouvelles possibilités qui s'offrent pour sa lecture
Catholic Church in the Kingdom of Albania
In 1205, during the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade, coastal regions of Byzantine Theme of Dyrrhachium (modern Durrës) were conquered by the Republic of Venice, and organized as the Duchy of Durazzo.Nicol, Donald M. (1957). The Despotate of Epiros(1. ed.). Oxford: Blackwell. pp.18-19 Because of this, Pope Innocent III established the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tiranë–Durrës as part of the Latin-Rite in 1209.
After the creation of Kingdom of Albania in 1272, a Catholic political structure was a good basis for the papal plans of spreading Catholicism in the Balkans. This plan found also the support of Helen of Anjou, a spouse of King Stefan Uroš I and cousin of Charles of Anjou, as Queen consort of the Serbian Kingdom, who was at that time ruling territories in North Albania. Around 30 Catholic churches and monasteries were built during her rule in North Albania and in Serbia.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), pp. 91–95. New bishoprics were created especially in North Albania, with the help of Helen of Anjou.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), p. 155 Durrës became again a Catholic archbishopric in 1272. Other territories of the Kingdom of Albania became Catholic centers as well. Butrint in the south, although dependent on Corfu, became Catholic and remained as such during 14th century. The same happened to Vlorë and Krujë as soon as the Kingdom of Albania was created.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), pp.147-148
A new wave of Catholic dioceses, churches and monasteries were founded, a number of different religious orders began spreading into the country, and papal missionaries also reached the territories of the Kingdom of Albania. Those who were not Catholic in Central and North Albania converted and a great number of Albanian clerics and monks were present in the Dalmatian Catholic institutions.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), p.146 However, in Durrës the Byzantine rite continued to exist for a while after Angevin conquest. This double-line of authority created some confusion in the local population and a contemporary visitor of the country described Albanians as nor they are entirely Catholic or entirely schismatic. In order to fight this religious ambiguity, in 1304, Dominicans were ordered by Pope Benedict XI to enter the country and to instruct the locals in the Latin rite. Dominican priests were also ordered as bishops in Vlorë and Butrint.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), pp.149-153
Among the Catholic orders operating during that period in Albania included the Franciscan order, Carmelites, Cistercians and Premonstratensians. Also from time to time, the local bishops were appointed from different orders as different popes had their favorites among them.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), p.154
Krujë became an important center for the spread of Catholicism. Its bishopric had been Catholic since 1167. It was under direct dependence from the pope and it was the pope himself who consecrated the bishop.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), p.157 Local Albanian nobility maintained good relations with the Papacy. Its influence became so great, that it began to nominate local bishops.
The Catholic cause had a drawback while Stephan Dushan ruled in Albania. The Catholic rite was called Latin heresy and Dushan's code contained harsh measures against them. However, the persecutions of local catholic Albanians did not begin in 1349 when the Code was promulgated, but much earlier, at least since the beginning of 14th century. Under these circumstances the relations between local Catholic Albanians and the papal curia became very close.Regnum Albaniae, the Papal Curia, and the Western Visions of a Borderline Nobility Lala (2008), pp.118-119
Between 1350 and 1370, the spread of Catholicism in Albania reached its peak. At that period there were around seventeen Catholic bishoprics in the country, which acted not only as centers for Catholic reform within Albania, but also as centers for missionary activity in the neighboring areas, with the permission of the pope.
Catholicism during the Ottoman Empire For four centuries, Albania became a part of the Ottoman Empire and the Islamisation of Albania took place. Albanian Catholics have retained their faith with the aid of:
The Franciscan missionaries, especially since the middle of the 17th century, when persecutions by Muslim lords set in motion the apostasy of many Albanian villages. The College of Propaganda at Rome, especially prominent in religious and moral support of Albanian Catholics. During the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly, it educated young clerics for service on the Albanian missions, contributing then as now to their support and to that of the churches. The Austrian Government, which gave about five thousand dollars yearly to the Albanian missions, in its role of Protector of the Christian community under Turkish rule. Apropos of the Austrian interest in Albania, it may be stated that it is the Austrian ambassador who obtains from the Sultan the Berat, or civil document of institution, for the Catholic bishops of Albania.Neber, in K. L., XI, 18, 19
National Synod
The Arbëni Council (Albanian: Kuvendi i Arbënit) was a synod of the Catholic Church held in Mërqia, three kilometers north of present-day Lezhë, on 14–15 January 1703, to affirm the position of the Catholic Church in Albania and to stem the tide of conversions to Islam.“Concilli i ZÉUT ‘SCCIPNIIS” Bot. III N’Rom me sctamp T’ Cuvenit S. T’ PROPOGANDS, 1878 Kuvendi kishtar i Arbërit dhe mbrojtja e identitetit kombëtar e fetar të shqiptarëve Vatican News Retrieved 10 October 2020. The conference was organized during the reign of Pope Clement XI Albani (r. 1700–1721), himself of Albanian origin, and was held under the direction and in the presence of the Croatian archbishop Vincentius Zmajevich (1670–1745) of Bar, who was “apostolic visitor” of Albania, Serbia, and Macedonia. The council was attended by about 200 Catholic dignitaries to discuss the state of the Church, prevent further conversions to Islam, and settle serious property disputes among the various parishes. Both the opening speech by Zmajevich and the resolutions taken by the council were made in Albanian.Coll. Lucensis Conc. Recent., I, 283 sq The records of the meeting, which are of historical, linguistic, and ecclesiastical significance, were sent to Rome for papal inspection and published in Albanian and Latin by the Propaganda Fide in 1706, with the assistance of Francesco Maria Da Lecce O.F.M. They constitute an important source of our knowledge of the language of northern Albania in the early 18th century.Berisha, Anton (2003). Kuvendi i Arbënit: 1703. Tiranë: Shpresa. p. 177.