Edizioni Orientalia Christiana of
The Pontifical Oriental Institute

Orientalia Christiana Analecta 277

Ines A. Murzaku

Catholicism, Culture, Conversion:
The History of the Jesuits in Albania (1841-1946)

This book synthesizes the great number of primary sources on the history of the Jesuits in Albania, providing an in-depth analysis of this amazing story. It answers many questions, including, Why did the Jesuits choose an overwhelmingly Muslim country to exercise their ministries and establish their institutions? Why had Catholicism previously failed in Albania? Did the Jesuits contribute to the revival of Albanian Catholicism?

The book explores the Jesuits’ call in Albania, beginning in 1843 when three Italian Jesuits set foot for the first time in Albania, to the Jesuits’ third expulsion from the country in 1945, this time by the communist government of Enver Hoxha. Based exclusively on primary sources from the Vatican, Roman, Venetian and Albanian Archives, the book explores the truth about the Jesuits’ work in Albania. It also looks at Albanian and Balkan ecclesiastical history and, following a chronological development, how the Jesuit history fits into the bigger picture.

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Universita di Bologna
istituto per l'Europa centro-orientale e balcanica

(FORTHCOMING!!)

Edited by: Ines Angeli Murzaku

Quo Vadis Eastern Europe? Religion, State and Society after Communism

In Quo Vadis Eastern Europe? Religion, State and Society after Communism, the focus is to present the newest research and thought on religion in Eastern Europe. The invited authors analyze the radically changed religious situation in the former communist countries and give some perspective on the future of religious coexistence in the area. This volume provides accurate source material for scholars, area specialists, and students interested in the region. The invited authors, among the best internationally recognized scholars in the field, present sophisticated analysis of common religiously motivated patterns that have historically faced and are facing the region. The first part of the book evaluates major theoretical observations focusing on common phenomena facing the countries under investigation, including Bulgaria, Georgia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, and Slovakia. The second part of the volume is a country-specific case study investigation. Sample countries from Central Eastern Europe -- including Russia, Georgia, Poland and Slovenia -- will be under scrutiny. The third part of the volume focuses on the Balkans and the troubled religious, political, and social problems facing the region. Balkan countries -- including Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia – are the focus.

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