\u201cThey said God didn\u2019t exist. I couldn\u2019t come to church or pray or speak of God at all,\u201d she said of the communist regime that came to power in her country soon after World War II. The regime made worshipping increasingly difficult and finally imposed a ban on religion in the country in 1967, making Albania the first and only constitutionally atheist state.<\/p>\n
Dhimitri was teaching piano at one of the country\u2019s top conservatories for music in the capital, Tirana, and was married with two small children when the ban went into effect.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the priests were arrested and killed, or put in jail,\u201d she said of its rapid and violent enforcement by government officials, who immediately closed of every church and mosque in the country.<\/p>\n
Having been raised by a \u201cstaunchly Catholic family\u201d from the traditionally Catholic stronghold of Shkoder, Dhimitri said \u201cto stop praying \u2026 never crossed my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she knew that to show any sign of faith in public would endanger not just her, but the lives of her entire family, so she resorted to praying in the secrecy of the family\u2019s Tirana apartment, with utmost care and sometimes \u201cunder the covers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAs they say, walls have ears, and there were (state) spies everywhere,\u201d said Dhimitri, who said her children understood instinctively not to speak of their Catholic faith.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe prayed at home, in private, out of sight of the neighbors,\u201d said Dhimitri, adding that \u201cmany other Catholics and Orthodox prayed secretly as well \u2026 and many Muslims, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Christmas or Easter we might cook a chicken, or have a small cake,\u201d she said of the \u201chidden celebrations\u201d during the years of the ban.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Read the rest.\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"What\u2019s it like to live and pray in an officially atheist state? \u00a0CNS has a fascinating interview with Maria Dhimitri, who lived that way in Albania: \u201cThey said God didn\u2019t exist. I couldn\u2019t come to church or pray or speak of God at all,\u201d she said of the communist regime that came to power in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,48],"tags":[1432,11164],"class_list":["post-22583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-atheists","category-the-people-in-the-pews","tag-albania","tag-atheists"],"yoast_head":"\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/56\/2013\/04\/Albania.jpg\" "\\"Albania\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\n