Cardinal Ernest Simoni, a 97-year-old survivor of Albania’s communist persecution, met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, offering relics of martyrs and reflecting on faith, suffering, and hope.
Newsroom (29/04/2026 Gaudium Press) Cardinal Ernest Simoni, a 97-year-old Albanian cleric widely regarded as a “living martyr” of communist-era persecution, met Pope Leo XIV in a private Vatican audience on April 26, in a gathering marked by remembrance, faith, and hope.
According to Vatican media reports, Simoni presented the pope with a cross and a relic of Albanian martyrs, honoring those who “gave their lives out of fidelity and love for Jesus, and for the salvation of the people of Albania, so that all men may contemplate the smile of heaven.” The meeting, attended by around 40 of the cardinal’s relatives, unfolded in what Simoni described as “an atmosphere of joy and hope.”
Reflecting on the encounter, the cardinal emphasized its spiritual significance. Gazing upon the pope, whom he described as representing “the face of Jesus,” Simoni said the gathering aimed to proclaim “the good news from heaven, of peace, of fraternity, and of love for all the peoples of the world.”
Simoni’s life story is inseparable from the harsh repression of religion under Albania’s communist dictator Enver Hoxha, whose regime declared the country the world’s first officially atheist state and banned all religious practice. Ordained a priest in 1956, Simoni was arrested on Christmas Day in 1963 and initially sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to forced labor.
He spent 18 years in prison before his release in 1981, yet remained labeled an “enemy of the people.” Forced to work cleaning sewers in the city of Shkodër, he continued his priestly ministry in secret until the fall of the regime in 1990.
Even during imprisonment, Simoni found ways to celebrate Mass daily, employing discreet methods to avoid detection. Because he recited the liturgy in Latin, his captors reportedly dismissed his words as incoherent, believing he had lost his sanity.
His testimony gained global attention during Pope Francis’ visit to Albania in 2014, when the pontiff was visibly moved to tears. Two years later, Francis elevated him to the College of Cardinals, praising a life of witness that “does good to the Church.”
Earlier this month, Simoni marked the 70th anniversary of his priestly ordination on April 7. On Easter Sunday, he stood alongside Pope Leo XIV during the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing from the central loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Describing his recent audience with Leo XIV, Simoni called it “a special grace” granted by both the Holy Spirit and the pope. He said the encounter served as a shared proclamation of “the peace that comes from heaven, that most sweet peace, spiritual joy, and the joy of the Resurrection.”
Despite his age, the cardinal—who has lived in Florence in recent years—continues to travel and bear witness to a history marked by suffering and resilience. His meeting with Pope Leo XIV, and the relics he carried, offered a reminder of the enduring legacy of faith among those who endured persecution in Albania and beyond.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News and CNA
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