On The Write Path

In the Lands of Saint Mother Teresa [96]

Any trip to the Balkans is fraught with confronting an uneasy history. And one of the controversies concerns Mother Teresa.

In 2017 I visited Kosovo, Albania and Makedonia. It's impossible to move among Albanians and not be aware of Mother Teresa. But let's go back in history to Roman times. Even then Christianity was a potent part of the regional culture.

It began in Ulpiana, a Roman crossroads on the Illyrian plains rebuilt by Emperor Justinian (most likely an Illyrian) after the earthquake of 518.



[photo of basilica, baptistry and me]

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1812766338757982&set=a.1672757769425507

Christian Illyria was already established in present day Kosovo near Prishtina. The church ruins lay under Serbian cornfields for centuries, some still do, but the Illyrians weren't Slavs. Slavs came later and may have mixed with Illyrian peoples. But who cares you might say?

The Albanians, the Greeks, the Bulgarians...

Because of their arguing even the new cathedral (2017) in Prishtina was opposed by some.



[bas relief of Mother Teresa inside the sacristy]

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1738525219515428&set=a.1672757769425507

Nënë Tereza did not establish peace in her homeland. Her mission lay elsewhere. She went to Ireland at age 18 to learn English and then India her adopted land.

Her life began in 1910 in a house in Skopje, now in Makedonia where Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was born to Albanian parents. The house stood until 1963 when Skopje was leveled by an earthquake. The spot is outlined on the pavement.

Nearby they constructed a memorial house and chapel.



[Memorial House and Chapel]



[another view]

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1731865290181421&set=a.1691460280888589
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1731862930181657&set=a.1691460280888589

Everyone writes about the missions and spiritual side of Mother Teresa but it's impossible to visit regions where there are Albanians and not know about her. She has become a cultural icon as well. The airport of Tirana, Albania (TIA) is called Aeroporti Ndërkombëtar i Tiranës Nënë Tereza. The main pedestrian mall in Prishtina, Kosovo bears her name and has a statue of her.



[Mall Nënë Tereza statue]

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1639241332777151&set=a.1672757769425507

And you won't miss seeing her to the left as you approach the sanctuary in St. Stephens Cathedral in Shkodra, Albania either.



https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1726100607424556&set=a.1691519717549312

Because most Albanians are Muslim, not everyone was eager to embrace her. Because she was Catholic this was a problem among Orthodox Serbians. So much for spirituality...

The entire region is still deeply divided into tribes which believe fighting over religion for the last 500 years is appropriate... except perhaps for the more peaceful Bosniaks, and Montenegrins. Then there's the Albanian concept of besa (a pledge of honor).

For instance, during World War II under German occupation, Albanians rescued and hid over 2000 Jews from Nazi persecution, motivated in part by the cultural institution of besa that emphasizes aiding and protecting people in moments of need.

Most assuredly, Mother Teresa grew up with this spiritual concept of honor and providing sanctuary.

So, it's sad that the legacy of Mother Teresa cannot bring the Balkans together spiritually like Josip Broz Tito did politically. Without a spiritual underpinning that too did not last.

© Copyright 2021 Kåre Enga [178.96] (29.qershor.2021)

~490 words

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